Suggesting that the vital element nonfiction lacks is professional attention, this book shows the literary qualities of nonfiction as well as defining its importance for young adults. The book discusses seven issues related to information books, each issue making up a single chapter. The first chapter addresses the reading interests of teenagers,…

Seventy-five fifth grade students were administered an interest inventory to determine their attitudes toward reading and the kinds of reading materials they preferred. In addition, an observer completed reading behavior checklists for each student, and the students completed a second inventory to discover the amount of reading they did as opposed…

Several points need to be addressed when selecting humorous books for children. First, people of all ages react to humor in different ways; therefore, what one child finds funny another may not. Care must therefore be taken in sharing books with and recommending books for children. Second, humor itself is difficult to define, but humor should…

The books listed in this annotated bibliography, selected to provide pleasurable reading for high school students, are arranged alphabetically by author under 35 main categories: (1) adventure and adventurers; (2) animals; (3) art and architecture; (4) biography; (5) careers and people on the job; (6) cars and airplanes; (7) great books that are…

The books listed in this annotated bibliography, selected to provide pleasurable reading for high school students, are arranged alphabetically by author under 49 main categories, including the following: (1) adventure and survival; (2) animals and pets; (3) archaeology and anthropology; (4) art and architecture; (5) biography and autobiography;…

This paper presents a brief history of the decline in recreational reading in university libraries and provides suggestions for ways to reverse the trend. The paper argues that students' anxiety about using the university library can be reduced by incorporating library instruction into existing courses. The paper also argues that prominent,…

Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) is a national program that seeks to motivate children to read. Implemented by local sponsors and aimed at disadvantaged groups, it offers participating children a wide selection of attractive paperback books about interesting people, places, and events. The multisite evaluation summarized in this report studied…

Forty-four secondary school teachers and 43 elementary school teachers were surveyed to determine their reading habits. The survey instrument elicited (1) demographic information, (2) purpose for reading, (3) types and number of books read in a six-month period, (4) types and number of newspapers read, (5) number of professional and…

Focusing on the extent to which high school students are interested in their free-choice books and on the relationship between the students' reading level and the readability level of the chosen books, a study was devised to test the validity of Edward Fry's Readability Principle. This principle states that high motivation can overcome high…

Although printed materials have taken over a good part of the communicative functions of language, and although book club sales show that young people read widely and frequently, still there is much to be said for the place of oral language in society. Three media which bring oral language to the young are radio, television, and record players.…

Reading to children provokes curiosity about books and arouses the desire to learn to read quickly and well. It helps them to learn what reading is all about, it enlarges their vocabulary, and it exposes them to new and exciting experiences. Reading to children also helps them to become familiar with books, their use and their handling. In…

This survey of children's reading interests in New Zealand, conducted in 1969, sought to discover which books, writers, magazines, and comics children read; what determines their choices; what they look for in a book; and where they obtain their reading material. A cross section of children was surveyed at four class levels from Standard II to…

To assess the informational and recreational reading needs of the inmates in Texas prison units, surveys were conducted at one male and one female correctional facility. Prison populations were identified by age, race, and educational level. Subjects for the preference study were asked questions regarding: (1) reading background; (2) book…

Discusses ways in which reading can enrich adults' lives, aid in problem-solving, and provide information on many vital issues; shows how adults can develop plans for purposeful reading. (GW)

Reports the following information from a survey of secondary school students: the amount of leisure reading undertaken by students; the type of literature read; the effect of personal-, school-, and home-related variables on the variation in amount of time spent on leisure reading; students' sources of literature; and students' attitudes toward…