Describes in detail a successful unit of study done on the play "Cyrano de Bergerac" that both satisfies particular curricular demands and suits the temperament and interests of young adolescents. (KEH)

Describes the grant-supported Read, Enjoy and Do (R.E.A.D.) program of the Park Forest (Illinois) Public Library intended to provide materials to help parents/caregivers make reading an enjoyable learning experience for children. Highlights the program's accomplishments, strengths, and weaknesses. Analyzes changed or altered grant needs and…

Offers a list of more than 50 books, in picture book and board book format, that are best suited to the developmental needs and interests of infants and preschool children. Books are listed under the following headings: identification of objects, rhythm and rhyme, pattern and repetition, and contrast and opposition. (AEF)

Investigates how the needs of adult new readers are being met in five North Texas public library systems using the PLA's (Public Library Association) list of recommended titles for "Adult New Readers" for 1993-97 as the comparative sample. All the libraries had titles from the sample, though there was considerable variance. Only one…

This publication attempts to answer some common questions from adult basic education and General Educational Development teachers about the practice of using children's literature in the adult literacy classroom. Answers include the following: some books in the children's literature market are meant to be read and enjoyed by a wide diversity of…

Conceived as a twentieth anniversary tribute to the Reading Is Fundamental Program, this book contains a varied collection of stories, poems, and drawings by some of America's most famous authors and artists of books for children, relating real and imaginary childhood memories that celebrate the joys of reading and the magic of children's…

To the traditional arguments for teaching children to read can be added the contemporary idea that literacy is a tool, the necessary skill for full participation in society, and the ticket to social mobility and success. New reasons for reading books have emerged from recent gains in the understanding of the comprehension process and the nature of…

A reading activity inventory was administered to approximately 13% of the employees at one division of a high technology company in order to (1) assess the amount of time spent reading different content or topic areas, (2) assess the amount of time spent reading different types of materials, and (3) determine the prevailing uses for reading in…

This study surveyed random samples of the junior high school, college, and adult population groups in Tucson, Arizona, for reading habits, self-perceived reading abilities, and the ability to retain information read in local newspapers. The survey data indicate that members of all three groups believe that they comprehend more than their peers,…

This anniversary edition of "Hooked on Books" adds new materials about the general educational context necessary for the success of the approach described in earlier editions. Discussions center on the difficulties of reading instruction, caused by the decreasing importance of reading in a television era; growth in the importance of peer teaching…

A study was conducted to discover if the stated reading attitudes and interests of sixth grade students were relevant to their self-selected reading materials. Fifty students completed questionnaires concerning their reading attitudes and interests and used log sheets to record information about their self-selected reading materials. The results…

A library project designed to increase the independent reading of deaf children involved the initiation of a bookmobile program in the dormitories of a school for the deaf and the adaptation and creation of books that deaf children could use independently. Because it is difficult for deaf persons to grasp abstract concepts in print, high-interest…

This paper uses the term "informational books" in place of the label "nonfiction" and proposes that the difference in connotation might promote a change in students' attitudes toward content reading. Several examples of informational books and their use are provided, showing classroom teachers and librarians how to enhance learning while providing…

This paper asserts that what is really basic in education lies first in recognizing what it means to be human, to accept the challenges and pains and joys of being alive, and to attempt not only to preserve but to raise the level of that humanity a notch or so for the next generation. It is suggested that adolescent literature can be a vehicle for…

Paperback publications are an ideal way to supplement the adopted textbook series of the New Orleans Public Schools or to provide common reading materials for special courses or for special students in special schools. Though established guidelines are helpful in making decisions about what books should be read by students, there is no system-wide…