Most criticisms directed at basal reader stories concern the unreal characters which tend to depict only middle-class families and use unreal language patterns. However, such criticisms do not get to the core of the problem. A comparison of stories from basal readers with some famous folk tales illustrates how the here-and-now stories from basal…

This study was prompted by the lack of consistency in defining the interests, both general and in the area of reading, of children in the primary grades. Analysis of more than 15 introductory texts used to teach reading indicated that interest measurement is based on certain unquestioned theoretical assumptions. Students in 27 first- through…

Surveys what was being read by children in Britain from 1910 to 1950 and what the experts advised teachers, librarians, and children to read. (GT)

Notes shortcomings in research efforts intended to discover children's picture book preferences. Describes a research approach adapted from the field of anthropology, in which the researcher conducted observations and interviews as children respond to picture books in natural classroom settings. (EL)

The history of series books is traced from their appearance during the Civil War to the present time, along with published comments from librarians about the suitability of these stories for children. A recent sampling of opinion from youngsters about their interest in series books is compared with some responses from librarians. (AEF)

Noting that many kids' and teens' magazines are not available at newsstands or bookstores, this book describes and provides ordering information for more than 200 such magazines. The magazines described cover almost every conceivable interest of children and teens in the United States and in many other countries. After a foreword by Jim Trelease…

This book is a collection of commentaries by Nebraskans about books that have been memorable for them from childhood through adulthood. The book is a record of life-long learning dedicated to Nebraska's youngest readers in the Year of the Young Reader, 1989--a common ground for intergenerational dialogue made possible by the world of books. The…

This study surveyed children's expressed reading interests and attempted to determine whether these were related to grade level, sex, race, and socioeconomic level. A total of 784 children in grades four through eight in four elementary schools of Fairfield, Alabama, answered a questionnaire composed of 120 annotated fictitious titles representing…

The purposes of this study were to survey expressed reading interests of first and second grade children from different geographic areas of the United States, with differing racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds; to compare expressed reading interests of children in grades one and two in an attempt to determine if interests change; and to…

Reports findings of a survey in which approximately 800 fifth and sixth grade students chose their favorite children's "classics." (FL)

Describes children's early use of oral and written language for different purposes. Advocates fostering early appreciation of a variety of texts to cultivate children's disposition to read and write for enjoyment, information, and communication. Presents ideas for using the talking, reading, and writing done every day by young children to develop…

This paper focuses on book-centered and "non-book" children and the role of the Internet in changing literature and children's reading habits. Highlights include diversity in children's books; differing magazine readership across the continents; the concept of narrative; the problem of book-centered children becoming outsiders in a more…

To update the findings of a 1971 study, a study seeking to identify the interest patterns and media preferences of fourth and fifth grade children was undertaken in 1978. The responses of 731 children to an interest inventory were subjected to separate factor analytic and analysis of variance procedures. The former were used to cluster…

The four major purposes of this study were: to examine and describe the in-depth discussions by selected sixth graders of specific books in an attempt to characterize the nature of the responses; to compare four strategies which were employed for initiating the different discussions; to discover the range of personal involvement which sixth…

Recognizing that interest is essential to motivation, this study was designed both to identify and describe the content interest patterns and media preferences (print and television) of middle-grade children and to determine any relationship between these interests and sex, race, or socioeconomic status (SES). An inventory was administered to 250…