In Botswana, it is common to hear the lament that there is no culture of reading. We aim to contribute to the development of more specific understanding of a culture of reading by reporting on information gathered from teachers who attended workshops we offered titled "Teachers as Readers AND Readers as Teachers: Creating Young Readers and…

Examines elementary students' reading preferences, habits, and behaviors. Reveals four powerful influences on elementary students' motivation to read: prior experiences with books, social interactions about books, book access, and book choice. (SR)

Suggests that reading programs that attempt to teach reading before children have developed adequate problem solving skills may be responsible for producing children who learn not to read. (DD)

Describes the successful implementation in a Georgia elementary school of the Reading Millionaires Project, a reading incentive program to promote recreational reading and to create student interest in reading. (SR)

Recommends Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) in grades 2-12 to improve students' reading and to teach them to love to read. Outlines rules for SSR, and offers notes to the teacher on its implementation. (SR)

Describes a study of second- and third-grade Hispanic students in an inner-city school, in which increasing children's access to books (through monthly visits to a public library) significantly increased children's interest in books and their reading at home. Concludes that simply providing interesting books for children is a powerful incentive…