Addresses two questions: (1) What are the functions of literature? and (2) How do children respond to literature? (HOD)

Examines two contrasting texts, "Little Goody Two-Shoes" and "A High Wind in Jamaica" to point to differences between "child" reading and "adult" reading. (HOD)

Defends "Velveteen Rabbit," a beloved classic, on its 75th anniversary. Finds that the story of a toy which becomes real has stood the test of time, even though critics call it overly sentimental. States that it deals with a universal theme and prepares its young readers for life's vicissitudes. Lists the book's classic elements. Gives questions…

Shares how a 12-week course for second-semester seniors called "Cultures in Conflict: Post-Colonial Literature from Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific" offers students on a Navajo reservation important insights into how other peoples have dealt with racial misunderstandings, inequities of power, and shifts in traditional values and…

Describes methods of approaching Toni Morrison's novel, "The Bluest Eye," for the secondary classroom. Suggests that it was the students' responses to the novel that showed to the teacher the importance of this controversial work. Provides numerous examples of students' written responses to the novel. (HB)

Provides four practicing teachers' written responses to Carolyn Henly's article entitled "Reader Response Theory as Antidote to Controversy: Teaching "The Bluest Eye," which appears in the same issue. (HB)

Describes how a teachers uses children's literature to immerse students in the living past. Presents students' poems and excerpts from student journals to document students' reactions to using historical fiction in the classroom. (RS)

Examines the effects of efferent and aesthetic teaching approaches on undergraduate students' responses to literature. Finds differences in the nature of responses, as well as a preference of treatment approaches, and a significant interaction between teaching approach and text. (PRA)

Considers what factors and circumstances empower readers to give a text life, value, and validity. Argues that empowered readers are situated readers, are focused on their concerns, and strive to be self-aware and other-aware. (HB)

Describes a method ("buddy book journals") of encouraging independent reading among students. Outlines the activity, in which students select partners with whom they read and study a particular book. Argues that this method is an excellent means of generating thoughtful response to literature. (HB)

Discusses the administrative role and the social role of three listserv student moderators as they mediated discussions about literature with Year 12 students in Australia. Suggests student moderators can facilitate discussion by initiating topics, contributing to existing discussions, and modelling effective discussant behavior. (NH)

Contends that not all books are created equal--"Anna Karenina," for example, is worth more than Nancy Drew mysteries. Relates, in a personal narrative, that when this opinion was manifested in a newspaper column, hundreds of letters took issue with the idea. Reiterates that the literate teacher finds ways to convince students that…

Pairs two books that might stimulate children's literary awareness--Lois Lowry's fantasy novel, "The Giver," and Maurice Sendak's picture book, "We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy." Finds that the pairing and comparisons increased understandings about each work and how complementary they really are. (PA)

Describes teaching literature to non-English majors (primarily working adults) at Golden Gate University. Discusses how the authors create a classroom environment in which students are given permission to engage in literary works in the context of their own lives as well as to consider texts historically and stylistically. (RS)

Responds to an article in an earlier issue of this journal about using reading response in a college literature classroom. Argues that the use of reader-response theory with two-year college students requires some caution. (SR)