English teachers have always had a hard time getting kids to read books, but in recent years the problem has spread and taken new directions. The rejection of books by teens and young adults has become a common feature. One by one, recent studies and surveys have charted the decline. With the advent of the Digital Age, teens have more diversions…

In current-day criticisms of consumer culture as well as of the performativity culture of the work place, the originally religious concept of the vice of acedia or sloth is reinterpreted as a virtue. Art, especially poetry, is put to the fore in that connection. The image of the reader is addressed when the question of the relationship between…

In this article, the author, Roger Soder, discusses past books he has read throughout the year on his own and with his book club. He also makes suggestions for summer reading selections. He thanks valued and nearby colleagues and friends for blessing him with books of great wisdom throughout the year.

Discusses whether books and reading as a leisure activity have a future, noting the impact of the modern mass media, especially television; highlighting the loss of the rich tradition of the western humanities and the educational significance of this tradition; and looking at the humanities, the novel, and the death of the novel. (SM)

In this article, the author reminisces about the pleasure she derived from growing up in a "book-rich" home, and how that developed into a lifelong love of reading. Today, one-third of all children do not have books in their homes, and, even though they may have access to books over the Internet or at a library, the author contends that this is…

Discusses the 1985 American Booksellers' Convention in San Francisco and the growing proliferation of children's bookstores. (EL)

Examines the increasing demand for baby books for the children of "baby boomers." Discusses subjects and authors of board books. (EL)

This book presents an informal history of books and reading, beginning with the first clay tablets and continuing on to the latest novels. The history recounted in the book reveals the power books have always had to delight and entertain, and to enlighten, educate, and "raise possibilities." But the story of reading also contains many…

The winner of the l985 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award in the category of board books explains that the photographs in her book "1, 2, 3" are truly international. (EL)

Seven well-known people describe their early experiences with books and reading and tell how they became avid readers. (MD)

Argues the importance of including good literature in elementary and secondary school curricula and the need to fight against watered down versions of texts. (FL)

Describes the text and the suitability of recent books that deal with the subjects of eagles, insect's bodies, geology, human anatomy, and redwoods. (CRH)

Describes projects designed to bring children and books together that successfully involved diverse elements of the book world. (EL)

The product of a two-day symposium on children and children's books, this booklet features remarks of Elaine Moss, British author and critic, and Barbara Rollock, coordinator for children's services at the New York Public Library. Moss's speech discusses meeting children's need for books offering depth and involvement, while Rollock's talk…

Discusses several issues concerning literature for young people in Canada, including lack of originality and the price of books. (DF)