Divided into sections on the reading process, positive effects of literature in a reading program, and basic instructional elements of a literature-based reading program, this 39-item annotated bibliography of journal articles and monographs dating back to 1968 presents research concerning the use of literature in the reading curriculum. An…

Speeches given at the 1986 ALSC (Association for Library Services to Children) Charlemae Rollins President's Program on the nature of productive analysis of children's books are presented in three articles. The need to select books that are challenging and exciting to read is discussed, and literary and extraliterary criteria for evaluating books…

Speculates on the future of children's books in the United Kingdom. (SRT)

Recounts the experiences of a bookseller in dealing with children's books, including what strategies increase sales, how mothers and fathers choose children's books differently, and giving book talks at parents' nights at preschool schools. (NKA)

Compares juvenile magazines and basal readers published in the 1960s with those published recently and concludes that the values exhibited in the publications are remarkably similar for the two time periods. Lists the values stressed in the publications. (FL)

Criticizes the lack of good literature in popular basal series and advocates the reading of good fiction as vital to producing an active, responsive reader. (MKM)

Reports that inner city remedial reading students self-selected traditional fairy tales over more contemporary stories available to them. Cites the work of Bruno Bettelheim and Karen Zelan, who suggest that these children select such materials to find intrinsic meaning. Argues that reading aloud to children is a valuable if not necessary means of…

Creative ways to motivate students to read and report on books include having them retell the stories differently, invent products related to the stories, share snacks like those the characters ate, illustrate action from the story, write imaginary conversations between themselves and the characters, and turn the stories into short skits. (SM)

Argues that children's literature enhances the teaching of reading skills, assists in language development, provides a good model for developing writing skills, and develops permanent reading habits. (SR)

Describes a program designed to facilitate the conditions whereby children in a small rural village school could perceive pleasure and purpose in literacy and thus create a climate of positive motivation resulting in productive reading and writing activities. (RS)

Identifies Newbery books most frequently chosen as favorites by 2,211 sixth-grade students, sixth-grade teachers, and school library media specialists. FInds that boys chose "Maniac Magee" (Jerry Spinelli), girls chose "Number the Stars" (Lois Lowry), and adults chose "The Giver" (Lois Lowry). (RS)

Discusses three recent books that focus on discussion as a way of engaging children, of helping them deepen their understandings of themselves and the books they read, and of structuring a literature-based curriculum that supports their comprehension and critical reading development. (SR)

Examines R.L. Stine's "Goosebumps" series, and investigates why children (including the author's two daughters) like them. Explores the lures of the horror fiction genre. Suggests that the attractiveness of the genre can be found in books more rewarding in literary terms, such as those by John Bellairs. Offers suggestions about the…

Examines the role of literature in the middle school curriculum and how this role affects young adolescents' reading habits. Argues that literature's role lies in the aesthetic experience of literature as an end in itself. Considers the necessity of ensuring that students understand this personal payoff of reading. (JPB)

Presents results from an informal survey of 50 individuals of all ages about the Harry Potter phenomenon. Offers four suggestions for the English language arts classroom about a place "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" might have in a school's curriculum, dealing with transforming text, understanding genre, responding to texts with personal…