Argues that real books attract, intrigue, and illuminate their young readers, making them laugh, touching their feelings, and clarifying situations. Argues that real books provide many lessons about reading, about print, about text, and about life. (RS)

Discusses the ability of books to transmit nourishment to the mind and spirit, the importance of fostering reading skills and habits in young children, and the danger of subordinating language and books to inert machinery in education. The roles of parents, schools, libraries and society as a whole are explored. (CLB)

Describes teaching a class called "Children and Books" to a group of pregnant and parenting high school students. Shows how using children's books taught these teen mothers about the value of reading to their own children and provided an opportunity for intense discussion addressing a wide range of personal issues. (SR)

Describes a year-long teacher action-research study involving fifth graders that used trade books to teach students various reading-comprehension strategies. Finds that students retained and transferred strategy learning to other texts and contexts; valued reading more and reported reading more; and demonstrated enhanced appreciation for books and…

Reviews research on the development of attitudes toward reading to investigate the idea that as children get older, their interest in reading declines. Highlights include research methodology; attitudes toward recreational reading; reading at home; reading autobiographies; and the need to provide interesting books to children. (LRW)

Argues that the way teachers and students transact with a piece of literature needs to change if teachers are to change the way students read and see themselves as readers. Suggests teachers need to support a variety of responses and avoid the tendency to reduce discussion to a search for a single main idea. Includes a brief response by Susan…

Educators must accept the challenge of encouraging the lifetime reading habit in school. Students who are surrounded with books, newspapers, magazines, and other materials will be tempted to browse and to read from these sources. When selecting materials for the classroom, educators should work closely with the library media specialist who is…

From Reader to Reader is a reading incentive project designed to encourage voluntary reading and promote informal discussions about books among elementary school children. It was developed by members of Alpha Upsilon Alpha Honor Society of the International Reading Association and receives support from the Center for the Book in the Library of…

Using a newly developed 6-week course, a study examined the effect of children's literature on the reading attitude and fluency of secondary remedial students. Subjects were 10 tenth- through twelfth-grade students enrolled in a central Washington State alternative high school for students who dropped out of regular high school but who still…

Based on the premise that young people's positive attitudes toward reading and writing can be shaped through the use of literature that treats those activities as valuable, a content analysis was conducted of Caldecott Medal winners from 1938 through 1981 and of Newbery Medal winners from 1922 to 1981 to determine how these books dealt with…

Discusses ways fictional characters can help children develop reading habits and overcome reading frustrations. (FL)

There is a strong link between the notion of childhood prevalent in a society and presumptions about children as readers. Versions of "Little Red Riding Hood" written in different centuries illustrate how the character of texts for children have changed as society's views of children and of education have evolved. (PP)

Discusses a number of children's books that can be used in conjunction with basal readers to enhance students' reading skills. Presents ideas under the following categories: multiple meanings, skills reinforcement, repetition of sounds, patterned language, and interest in words. Includes an extensive bibliography. (FL)

Interviews owners and managers of children's bookstores around the country. Presents their ideas about how to promote literacy learning among children, including programs for child advocacy, parent education, teacher education, and community outreach. Offers insights about a variety of influences on reading development. Suggests some ways that…

Examines the ways in which parents and teachers interacted with children while listening to them read. Finds that parents concentrated on decoding the text, while teachers read to the children or discussed the text with them (conversing). Reveals that conversing occurred frequently among teachers but not parents; behaviors demonstrate parental…