Suggests that illustrations can serve as invitations to enjoy and to ponder the images in poetry. Notes that, when poetry is read aloud to children, they should also have the opportunity to view and discuss the accompanying illustrations. Discusses how a variety of poetry books for children incorporate illustrations. (RS)

Offers brief descriptions of 34 children's books that are excellent for reading aloud: some of them for inviting interaction, for laughing out loud, for prompting discussion, for living vicariously, for lingering over language, and for making curricular connections. (SR)

The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) Preschool Services and the Parent Education Committee compiled a list of recommended books (published between 1993 and 1997) appropriate for use in group settings with children between the ages of 18 and 36 months. Bibliographic information and a short description are provided for each title.…

The most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children at home and in the classroom. At school, reading aloud is important for starting the day, presenting reading and writing mini-lessons, supporting social studies and science curricula, supporting whole-class book studies, and…

Examines the oral responses of a class of urban kindergartners as stories were read aloud to them by their teacher, with the purpose of describing these responses as evidence of literary understanding. Finds that the children did not understand the stories as rigid and unbending structures, but as the raw materials for molding a variety of…

Considers how image becomes the issue when authors, illustrators, editors, reviewers, teachers and librarians passively accept rather than question the illustrations and content of new books. Concludes that through literature, children can begin to develop a sense of their humanness and can develop new insights into the behaviors of others and…

In this brief article, the author suggests that in this age of accountability, teacher-librarians sometimes become so engulfed by their role in teaching the school curriculum and standards that they forget the power of story. The author stresses, that in her opinion, the power of story is undeniable.

In the past, parents would wait outside of the room while storytime was in progress. The librarian would be the only adult in the room most times. Now grown-ups regularly attend storytime and seem to enjoy it as much as their little ones. And librarians realize that their adult audience is just as important as their young one. Recognizing the…

One of the best gifts one can give to children is a lifelong love of reading, and that begins by reading out loud to them every day. It is the single most important thing one can do to help build literacy skills. This article presents some guidelines to help make reading time in the classroom a richer experience.

For many teachers, the storybook shelf is not the first place that they go to when they start to plan a math lesson. But children's books can be a great math teaching tool. They spark students' imaginations in ways that exercises in textbooks or workbooks often don't. In this article, the author shares three possible lessons based on favorite…

"Science Briefs" summarize the findings and implications of a recent study in basic science or clinical research. This brief reports on the study "Mother-Child Bookreading in Low-Income Families: Correlates and Outcomes during the First Three Years of Life" (H. Raikes, B. A. Pan, G. Luze, C. S. Tamis-LeMonda, J. Brooks-Gunn, J. Constantine, L. B.…

Too many middle school students struggle to comprehend their textbooks in science and other content areas. Thus, many adolescent learners lag behind in developing scientific literacy, which the National Research Council has defined as sufficient understanding of the scientific concepts and processes required for personal decision making,…

This article presents results from 2 studies comparing 3 approaches to teaching vocabulary during storybook reading: (a) contextual instruction, based on connecting words to their use in books and to children's personal experience; (b) analytical instruction, which enhances contextual instruction with semantic analysis of words in contexts other…

"Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition"[R] ("CIRC") is a comprehensive reading and writing program for students in grades 2 through 8. It includes story-related activities, direct instruction in reading comprehension, and integrated reading and language arts activities. Pairs of students (grouped either by or across…

Students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder are physically active and impulsive often to the point of being difficult to contain. Fortunately, advances in research and practice are helping unravel some of the mysteries of ADHD and with this information comes an imperative to inform individuals with ADHD about their disability.…