Like Humpty Dumpty after the fall from the wall, language does not work effectively when it is not whole. For many students, the reading problems they begin to experience in the third or fourth grade are caused by the basic skills manner in which beginning reading is taught. Recognizing the limitations of basic skills instruction and the genre of…

Biography is a form of nonfiction that, when well-researched and well-written, can be as enjoyable and as engaging as the best of novels. The quality of these books can be judged by the quality of writing and by the honesty and accuracy in the presentation of the subject. There has to be in the text or in supporting materials some assurance that…

An English instructor examined 9 Judy Blume adolescent novels and interviewed 12 students (grades 6, 7, and 8) who had read the novels to look at the world as it was presented in the books and to compare the instructor's own perceptions with those of the adolescent readers. The study revealed that the books did in fact dwell on the problems of…

The Nancy Drew adventure series, a classic girls' favorite for over 50 years, offers less sex role stereotyping and sexist cultural indoctrination than the majority of reading textbooks now used in the elementary school classroom. Textbooks were excluded from the Title IX regulations of the 1972 Education Amendments, and a review of studies…

Trade books offer both teachers and students a basic learning tool that can help make learning in the content areas more personal and meaningful. Teachers can use trade books as background reading, for planning units of study, as resource materials in teaching, and as part of the total reading program. Students can use trade books for research…

Bibliotherapy is a powerful tool for helping children cope with direct and indirect death experiences. Through the process of bibliotherapy, readers may identify with others whose experiences are similar, feel emotional release as a result of this identification, and gain insights into their own experiences. For this process to be helpful, it is…

Teachers of all subjects at all levels are constantly searching for helpful new materials, and many corporations and special interest organizations have responded by preparing and distributing free or low-cost materials for "educational" purposes. However, a teacher should preview such materials carefully before using them to determine whether…

Discusses the decline of children's library services, the library needs of children, the special character of children's librarianship, and book selection. (SRT)

Discusses the role of librarians in terms of their responsibility to examine the social content of children's literature and then decide whether that content is appropriate for a particular child based on possible biases. (CLB)

Describes two interactive computer programs of juvenile literature that young readers can use to search for books they might enjoy reading. The hardware and software requirements, database features, search strategies, and topics included in the databases are discussed. (13 references) (CLB)

Explores several concepts relevant to instructional materials that emerged from seminars sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association. Describes how basal readers--so prevalent in instruction--fall short of these concepts, and what can be done to improve instruction. (HTH)

Examines the implications of structuralism for reading and English instruction. Argues that, according to Structuralism, literature worth reading confronts readers with the gap between writing and thought and forces them to consider their own thinking and, in a larger sense, their own place within the culture. (MM)

Provides a rationale for using bibliotherapy, then examines the proper way to administer it. (FL)

The author describes what future teachers should know about the quality, opinions of, developmental stages in; and the variety, use, and availability of adolescent literature in the years to come. (CRH)

Defines the term "cognitively disabled"; discusses some of the negative assumptions about the cognitively disabled found in many books, while simultaneously noting the books' positive aspects; and provides an annotated bibliography of books that deal with cognitively disabled people. (FL)