A 9-month naturalistic study of 16 preschoolers' classroom literacy behaviors and a related study of one student's literacy activities at home examined book-related dramatic play as an important part of the children's literacy interactions. Analyses of instances where play was related to the meanings of the books the children had read indicated…

A study investigated the book handling and print concepts knowledge of 37 preschool children in a college day-care center. Subjects ranged in age from 2 to 5 years. As part of their normal day, the subjects were taken aside and a story was read to them. They were then asked questions about the physical make-up of the book, rules and concepts of…

Designed to provide prospective teachers with an introduction to some of the best books available for use with children ages one through eight, this book also provides a methodology for teaching literature with attention to the special needs and interests of young children. It may be used as a resource book or as a supplementary textbook for…

Reviews studies which demonstrate that exposure to children's literature encourages verbal language development and reading competence in particular. (TJ)

Reading to young children offers them many benefits including a sense of security which comes from physical closeness to an adult. In addition, the child perceives the format of print, begins to assimilate the basics of story construction, develops a prior knowledge base which is an essential ingredient of comprehension, and receives the message…

Presents an annotated bibliography of books about the voyages of Christopher Columbus for children, preschool to grade seven. Notes that the five hundredth anniversary of the Columbus voyages will occur in 1992 and encourages teachers to anticipate the national commentoration and develop appropriate learning activities. (NL)

Reading aloud to children is an important facet of the literate home environment and the best preparation for the establishment of preschool literacy skills. David was read to at every opportunity, and a diary was kept to observe, record, and study his emergent literacy events in the home. Since David often asked to have the same books read to…

A study was conducted to evaluate the impact of predictable stories given to children from low-income families over a two-year period. Phase one subjects were all the children (N=52) from four Headstart classes; phase two subjects were all the children who had participated in phase 1 and who entered kindergarten after their last year in Headstart.…