Purposefully selected collections of literature can extend, contrast or illuminate an experience or perspective to effectively exploit the potential of children's literature to shape curriculum and engage student learning. This paper offers a practical framework for creating purposeful collections of literature. As an illustration of this process,…

In this article, the author provides one solution for librarians on how to choose what books to share with primary students when there are more than 15,000 children's books published each year and only 185 days of school. At Mt. Lebanon School, they devote the month of March to sharing some of the best books ever printed for children: Caldecott…

This article addresses how Christians can read wisely and well as citizens of both God's kingdom and an increasingly secular society. I suggest that focussing on reading as a transaction between reader and text rather than on the morality of texts or the maturity of readers can provide a biblical approach for Christian educators seeking to invest…

In the spring of 2005, the author created a short, online questionnaire to capture data about middle schoolers and book covers, and after several pilot studies she posted it to SurveyMonkey.com. The study includes the fiction books for middle school from the 2005 Quick Picks list. Over the course of a week, participants reported to the school…

Lists several books for children which can help them understand their own problems better. Topics include the new baby, muscular dystrophy, blindness, Fear, and psychotic behavior. (JM)

The author's credo is not to write anything unless it is usable, good news, or usable information to interdict and humanely supersede the reality of some particular bad news. She urges librarians and publishers to desist their perpetuation of the status quo under the mantle of realism. (Author/SJ)

Twenty-two children's books which were published in 1971 are reviewed. (22 references) (MM)

A selective list of 50 new children's books centering on the fact that people can and must learn to settle their differences peacefully. (Author)

Discusses the definition, purposes, and advantages and disadvantages of electronic books. Notes the types of embedded resources present in them, offers an example of an electronic book, and suggests three steps to evaluate and select electronic books for the curriculum. (SR)

Discusses 10 criteria for evaluating books for children: attractiveness; accuracy; authority; appropriateness; rhetoric; stereotypes; tone; cautions; format; and book design. (MES)

Literary reading is in dramatic decline, with fewer than half of American adults now reading literature, according to a July 2004 report by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The survey "Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America" reports drops in all groups studied, with the steepest rate of decline--28…

Selection of appropriate passages is important for memorizing and at the same time they must be presented reasonably well. The ways in which the different students recitations are graded is discussed.

In this article, Elizabeth Birr Moje, Melanie Overby, Nicole Tysvaer, and Karen Morris challenge some of the prevailing myths about adolescents and their choices related to reading. The reading practices of youth from one urban community are examined using mixed methods in an effort to define what, how often, and why adolescents choose to read. By…

According to the 2004 National Assessment of Educational Progress, males who have made it through 12 years of school have significantly poorer reading skills than their female peers. In every age group, boys have been scoring lower than girls annually for more than three decades on U.S. Department of Education reading tests. The longer boys are in…

As multicultural education is becoming integral to the core curriculum, teachers often implement this aspect into their courses through literature. However, standards and criteria to teach and promote active discussion about this literature are sparse. This book introduces pre-service and experienced teachers to the use of literature to promote…