The "Harry Potter" series has become a phenomenal success with children. "Harry Potter" books in print worldwide is in excess of 116 million, and they have been translated into 47 languages. What might account for this huge popularity? While the characters and events are certainly engaging, funny, original, and creative, they…

The Caldecott Awards are presented annually for the most distinguished American picture book(s) published for children. Invariably these books are well written and illustrated and frequently touch an inner core. Here are some of the messages the Caldecott winners can pass along: a book should be a pleasure to hear; a book should help a child…

The zone of proximal development provides guidance to the teacher in taking care of selected prerequisites, prior to pupils doing the actual reading. Three models are presented and elaborated upon to indicate what can be done to fulfill requirements of the zone of proximal reading. The zone may be applied in relation to reading from basal texts…

The pros and cons of using literature in an ESL classroom are examined. It is argued that if literary texts are used, they must be carefully selected and approached in a manner promoting an aesthetic interaction between reader and text. An example of this technique is given. (Author/MSE)

Presents the pros and cons of including teen romances in the English curriculum. (JL)

Award-winning author Madeleine L'Engle discusses issues concerning censorship and relates her own views about the role of children's literature in a rapidly changing world. Fiction should help make children aware of inward as well as outward change and should stress the individual's ability to make a difference. (PP)

Annotates nine new adult books of interest to high school readers. The books include autobiographical accounts by survivors of the Holocaust, books of short stories, and books about Shakespeare, the Cuban literacy struggle, and early Chinese explorers. (GT)

One cannot alter the instinctive respect for courage by steering the young onto literature describing peaceful events rather than violent ones. The adolescent's desire to explore his virtues by entering imaginatively into tragic or violent events is too deep to be eradicated. (Author/SJL)

Presents: the 1996/97 Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List of 19 children's books; a short essay about what she writes and why she writes it by Texas author Angela Shelf Medearis; an essay introducing Arte Publico Press in Houston, a publisher of contemporary and recovered literature by United States Hispanic authors; and the 1996/97 Texas Lone Star…

Advocates the wide use of multicultural literature by English/language arts teachers. Suggests that good historical fiction teaches history. Looks at the changing demographics of the United States, racism, and the role of the English teacher. Lists recent articles from this journal which contain suggestions for working with topics and themes…

Suggests that many of the current instructional practices that use children's literature in the elementary classroom derive from "modernist" theories of meaning, readers, texts, and contexts which do not reflect the transactional nature of reading, perspectives from reader response, or various critical theories. Describes three theoretical…

Presents an interview with Chris Raschka that explores his creative process. Notes he is the author of over 20 picture books. Focuses on controversial children's books. (SG)

Provides a list of picture books suggested for middle school libraries and presents methods of introducing these books in order to assure acceptance by less fluent and reluctant readers. (NH)

Invokes an analogy between navigation and literature appreciation, suggesting how books can help students find their way and navigate in the future. Argues that reading teachers need to be enthusiastically familiar with all literary genres so that they can help students see books with an eager and expansive eye. (RS)

Discusses a child who failed to make sense of the graphophonic, syntactic, and semantic cuing systems of English until he was exposed to a literacy-rich, whole language classroom. Argues that teacher education programs need to be intentional about adequately preparing preservice teachers to go beyond the selection of good children's books. (RS)