The purpose of this instructional resource is to provide guidelines for conducting literature discussion groups using a book club approach. The procedures and guidelines that are presented in the resource are the result of 4 years of research related to book clubs. The guidelines and procedures in the resource include information about the roles…

Concerns are being raised in both professional literature as well as in the popular press regarding certain aspects of the literature-based movement. A longitudinal study investigated a group of first-grade teachers who have been attempting (with varying degrees of success) to introduce literature-based teaching strategies into their classrooms.…

Making the job of encouraging adolescents to read for pleasure less of a challenge, this book presents an annotated list of 95 books chosen by adolescents themselves as part of an annual program sponsored by the International Reading Association. Entries in the book are grouped by type or genre of publication to make books of a particular interest…

As teachers gravitate more and more to the use of literature and strive to include a range of cultural experiences in their classrooms, the use of poetry from various cultural groups should be considered. Poetry is a very real means of having children see themselves and others as being both unique and yet the same. In considering poetry across…

This book contains descriptions of over 1,200 books published between 1993 and 1995, all chosen for their high quality and their interest to children, parents, teachers, and librarians. Materials described in the book include fiction, nonfiction, poetry, picture books, young adult novels, and interactive CD-ROMs. Individual book reviews in the…

A study of teachers' perceptions concerning intellectual freedom and book selection and use in the elementary school is described in this paper. A questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 452 public elementary school classroom teachers in Minnesota. Surveys were completed by teachers for a response rate of 83%. Results indicated that: (1) 20%…

Intended to make the job of finding the right book for the right child easy, this book lists the "Children's Choices" selections (books recommended by children themselves) for 1989, 1990, and 1991. Each of the book's over 300 entries is annotated and includes publication information. Entries are grouped by the following reading levels:…

In an effort to demonstrate how quality literature can engage children in reflective thinking about stories, themselves, and the world, this book suggests children's literature worthy of discussion, shows how interactions work, and encourages adults to bond with children. The book begins with a chapter on how to use the book and a chapter on the…

A study looked at one problem teachers have when implementing an individualized reading program, the amount of time it can take students to choose a book to read. A database of the classroom library (consisting of about 600 novels) used by two fifth-grade language arts classes was created using Hypercard for the Macintosh. This database was…

Designed to help preschool through ninth-grade teachers and librarians to become knowledgeable and critical consumers of children's books, this book carries throughout an image of a patchwork quilt to represent the varied colors and patterns of books and people who inhabit the world of children's literature. This third edition of the book has been…

In this first issue of a children's literature annual, 10 articles on poetry for young people are presented. The articles and their authors are as follows: "There Is No Net To Catch A Poem" (Jane Yolen); "Poetry and the Self" (Myra Cohn Livingston); "The World Outside My Skin" (Eve Merriam); "American Poetry for…

This study was intended to negate or confirm the findings of prior studies conducted on the relationship between gender and reading preferences in high school students and to ascertain whether any changes have occurred that would reflect changing attitudes toward gender roles. Data were gathered by using a survey which was distributed to…

Designed to expose young readers to a wide variety of literary genres, this annotated bibliography provides a list of over 500 recently published children's literature selections representative of the universal themes in literature. Selections are divided into sections of folklore, drama, poetry, non-fiction, and fiction (the most extensive). The…

A teacher educator wanted to help teacher education students examine and get beyond the years of modeling and conditioning in the less productive aspects of traditional teaching practice. Based on her personal experiences with literature, and convinced of the power of imaginative literature to be a positive influence in teacher education, she…

Children's books can be used to expand knowledge and increase interest in the content areas. The social understanding that first and second grade students gain from a unit on family relationships and friendships will be richer if literature is an integral part of the instruction. Titles for such a unit might include "Charlotte's Web," by E.B.…