This report looks at the reading engagement of children aged 8 to 18 in Scotland, based on data gathered from 1,141 pupils across eight schools in 2023. The survey was conducted between January and the middle of March 2023. Slightly more girls (58.8%; n = 635) than boys (41.2%; n = 445) participated from Scotland. There is also data from 33…

Background: Over the last two decades, the reading habits of children and adolescents have evolved. Research shows some similarities in the reading experiences of children and adolescents, but there are also differences. For example, adolescents are more likely to read digitally and generally report poorer attitudes towards reading. With this in…

Although children with Down syndrome (DS) can learn to read, few studies have explored parental perspectives on the reading development of this group of children. This article, written by Leila Ricci and Anna Osipova, from California State University, explores visions and expectations regarding reading held by parents of children with Down…

Suggestions for creating a home environment favorable for building positive reading habits are presented. (MT)

Explores the enormous attraction for young readers of series books (such as Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, and currently "The Baby-Sitters Club"). Discusses what children might learn from such reading, often thought of as pap literature by adults. (SR)

Discusses poststructuralist theories and describes how they can be useful in explaining the phenomenon of children's gendered literature preferences. Offers insights into the complexities of gender and its connections with reading fiction. Discusses children's reading preferences in school, the publishing industry, the school curriculum, and…

Visual and ICT media are often perceived as a threat to book reading in leisure time. They are accused of taking time and interest away from children and adolescents' book reading by offering them more approachable alternatives. Children and adolescents' book reading habits and the way these habits have changed over time are in focus. Is there any…

A review of the research concerning the relationship between children's reading achievement and television viewing reveals many contradictions. For example, the findings show that the amount of television viewing that affects reading achievement in one child may not affect another in the same way. What a child watches on television also seems to…

The 14 articles in this theme issue are divided into five categories: Youth and Literature--Issues and Opportunities; Portrayals of Children and Youth in Literature; Youth and Their Parents in Literature; Death and Bereavement in Young People's Literature; and Epilogue. The final section focuses on Literature and Youth Development--Implications…

Provides a descriptive bibliography of titles that show the significant role books play in a young person's existence. Includes a letter excerpted from "Dear Author" magazine, from a 14-year old to "Charlotte's Web" author E.B. White telling how the book changed her life. (AEF)

Papers presented at a roundtable session on research on reading at the 1985 International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) conference provide an international and historical perspective on reading. They include: (1) "Research on Reading in Czechoslovakia" (H. Kolarova-Palkova, Czechoslovakia), a historical account of the development of…

"The Brownies' Book," a periodical for Black children created and edited by W. E. B. Du Bois and published for 2 years, from 1920 to 1921, was a radical departure from traditional children's publications. It challenged the "selective tradition" in children's literature that negatively depicted Afro-Americans and Afro-American…