Notes that children's literature in which characters engage with music opens the door for readers to identify parallels of musical experience with the art of creative reading. Considers parallels between responding to literature and music. Concludes that texts that invite readers into the world of music are plentiful and well-written. (SG)

Responds to Spiegel's article cautioning elementary school counselors to be well-informed and avoid public hysteria surrounding child abuse by discussing the issues of unfounded versus false reports; backlash literature; a question of innocence; and the need for better education and training for child protective workers and those involved with…

Describes a writing activity in which children in England wrote letters to various children's authors. Discusses the content of both the children's letters and the author's replies. (MM)

Describes a project in which children were given in-depth experiences with a range of quality stories and then were interviewed using a series of open-ended questions to obtain their responses. The project was intended to gain insight into the process by which children make sense and meaning from stories. (HTH)

Suggests that teachers and children may have different ideas about how people talk about stories in classrooms. Describes how teachers loosened their attempts to control children's talk and subsequently shared control with them, and collaborated in exploring stories and in teaching/learning to read. (HTH)

This book offers teachers some information about many of the newest children's books as well as over 125 kid-tested and teacher-approved ways to extend these stories into other areas of the curriculum. It aims to enable teachers to enhance their professional judgment about using literature in the classroom; guide teachers toward getting their…

Examines the effects of literature discussion approaches on preservice teachers' purpose in writing. Explores the viability of the instruments developed by D. Wiseman using responses from older students. Contends that a transactive criticism approach can be a valuable way of incorporating literary analysis without negating the reader's experience…

Presents annotations of nine journal articles, monographs, and "learning packages" (published between 1989 and 1993) that examine teaching approaches founded upon the insights of reader response theory. (RS)

Discusses how "The Butter Battle Book" by Dr. Seuss can be used to introduce the moral issue of war to young children. Studies the written responses of 1,187 children in grades kindergarten to 6 to the story. Notes that only the fourth- through sixth-grade students (who felt themselves beyond Dr. Seuss) understood the allegorical nature…

Explores the responses of a range of adults (all five Pueblo Indians) to one children's book, "Arrow to the Sun," based on a Pueblo Indian tale and written by a non-Indian. Discusses concerns for accuracy, authenticity, and sensitivity. Finds widely differing responses to the book among Eastern and Western Pueblo members. Reconsiders pedagogies,…

Describes how literature is used in elementary classrooms, and is a problem in pedagogical practice. Argues for the need to place a greater emphasis on the study of literature as a subject in the reading program and to help students develop "literary literacy." Suggests a holistic approach to teaching literature that combines transactional and…

Explains how a teacher comes to learn that primary and intermediate grade students are engaged by fiction and nonfiction both, that they do not associate one with pleasure and the other with learning. Argues that readers of all ages find meaning in a work, fictional or nonfictional, to the extent that it relates to their own lives and experiences.…

Examines Maurice Sendak's recent picture book in the context of his other work. Looks at the text and illustrations in some detail; suggests psychological and political interpretations; and discusses responses of children. Argues that the book forces educators to examine their own basic assumptions about what constitutes literature for children.…

Examines the nature of engagement with informational text by exploring four gifted students' responses to children's information books and informational storybooks. Indicates that these children expressed a variety of reasons for reading non-fiction and held interesting perceptions and strong opinions about informational content. Finds that…

As a lover of language and literature, as a serious yet secular Jew, and as a long-time educator in Jewish schools who strives to implement the best practices possible, the author found herself in an educational trap. Typically, even in liberal Jewish practice, Written Law, i.e. the Torah, and Oral Law, i.e. the rabbinic commentaries, are tightly…