Offers principals some practical ideas to help youngsters become competent, motivated readers. Principals can spend spare moments reading favorite books to students and encourage others to do likewise, help form book clubs, provide cozy reading areas and high-interest materials, help nonfluent readers practice their skills, and ask good readers…

Examines what happens when children commit themselves to enter a summer library-sponsored reading program. Finds that (1) those students who participate in such programs have consistent parental support and interest; (2) self-initiated reading was the most successful; and (3) children and parents created their own individualized reading programs.…

Finds a generalizable pattern that is learned and followed by most children when they select books. Suggests that refinements and elaborations are best demonstrated by "outlier" behaviors atypical to the basic book-selection routine. Shows children typically select books based upon the physical characteristics of the book and a holistic,…

Reports a study that examined the long-term stability of the construct of children's attitudes toward reading. Elementary students completed the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey twice over three years. Results indicated that children's attitudes about reading exhibited a consistent decline; girls expressed more positive attitudes toward…

A longitudinal study investigated the effects of leisure time reading (reading at home for pleasure or fun) on pupils' reading achievement in school. Subjects, 736 students in grades 3, 4, 5, and 6 in 30 schools located throughout the Netherlands, had their reading achievement determined five times: at the beginning and end of grade 3 and at the…

This book brings together 48 read-aloud stories that parents and teachers can share with children ages 5 through 9. Each story in the book has its own introduction and suggestions for further reading. Sections of the book are: Tell Me a Story!; Tales from Long Ago; School Days; Food for Thought; Families; Folk and Fairy Tales; Animal Tales;…

A study compared the choices of Charlottesville area children with those from Children's Choice lists, published annually in "The Reading Teacher." Subjects, 62 third- to sixth-grade students, were interviewed before they checked books out of the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library Main Branch in Charlottesville, Virginia. Children were…

This collection of short stories contains tales of a mythical animal called the "Tajar." Tajar tales are a tradition among campers who attend summer camps. The stories are to be read aloud, and approximate reading times for the stories are provided. Tajar looks something like a tiger, a jaguar, and a badger. He is a friendly, but mysterious…

This bibliography lists articles, dissertations, and books released from 1889 through 1974 that deal with children's reading interests. The publications address such topics as children's preferences in reading textbooks and in recreational reading, the reading preferences of children in various age groups, children's poetry preferences, and…

The current system of elementary level reading instruction allows no place for reading for pleasure. While few deny the teacher's role in helping children master the mechanics of reading, some question whether it is equally important to help children learn the inherent pleasure of reading literature for its own sake. The current systems approach…

Describes "story drama," a technique in which the texts of stories or novels are presented as plays, and shows how it can be used to teach content areas in elementary grades. (ARH)

A daily 20-minute period was established during which deaf students (ages 5-10) and their teachers engaged in sustained silent reading. Despite some initial difficulties in obtaining compliance among both students and teachers, students have begun to spend more time on a single book and are more willing to reread books. (VW)

Describes a behavior modification program aimed at encouraging students to increase the frequency of leisure reading done at home. (EL)

Offers suggestions for use by parents and teachers to encourage children to read for pleasure. (FL)

In 1804, Lewis and Clark and a band of adventurers called the Corps of Discovery embarked on one of the great expeditions in history, the exploration of the newly purchased Louisiana Territory. Much of their time was spent on the Missouri River. Two hundred years later, four friends follow Lewis and Clark's path up the Missouri. Their journey…