Picturebooks were one format of multimodal text used during the classroom-based research that is featured in this article. Although the research conducted with a class of grade 7 students had several overarching purposes, the two most relevant to this article were to investigate student development of visual meaning-making skills and competencies…

This article describes results from an examination of common characteristics in the award-winning United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) Outstanding International Books for Grades K-2 from 2006 to 2012. Books nominated for the USBBY Outstanding International Books List must be currently available in the United States market. The…

This study illustrates the presence of Mock Spanish in some English-based picture books and the ways this usage misrepresents Latino people, language, and culture. The author conducted a critical content analysis of five Skippyjon Jones books. Her guiding question was, How is language used, particularly Spanish, in these English texts, and what…

In mainstream American culture, death is not usually talked about openly. It is discussed privately among adults because death is often regarded as a final ending. Nevertheless, many elementary school teachers discuss el Dia de los Muertos with their students. The celebration of el Dia de los Muertos, in contrast to dominant ideology, commemorates…

Learning through drama and other art forms enriches children's learning by expanding the possibilities for how children create and express meaning (Adomat, 2009; Berghoff, Egawa, & Harste, 2000). The arts are rarely suggested as a way of opening up broader understandings for young readers; yet drama has been shown to be beneficial in myriad ways…

Children's literature remains a primary vehicle for intellectual and imaginative maturation, and it is thus important to ask whether younger students have the opportunity to transact with books that represent and raise questions about shared experiences and cooperation across social, cultural, and linguistic boundaries. The authors examine three…

Almost two decades ago, Gay (1995) described the state of multicultural education as both "exciting and troubling" (p. 4). This holds true today and has complex pedagogical and curricular implications. While dialogue within such a multidimensional field is essential, Gay noted that the complexity may serve to intimidate or overwhelm teachers who…

Considers the ways in which the discourses available to children influence their responses to children's literature. Examines boys' and girls' responses after reading to questions focusing on major characteristics of a nontraditional protagonist. Concludes that change will occur gradually as an apathetic attitude is reduced if educators…

Explores issues such as course organization, evaluation of student work, and major concerns of faculty and students about Children's Literature courses. Finds that the hypothesis that graduate and undergraduate children's literature survey courses would be significantly different was not supported. Reveals no indication that interest in children's…

Considers how teachers engage children in character education and analyzes core values in books winning the Scott O'Dell Historical Fiction Award. Finds that these books are rich sources for examples of core values that are common features of character-education programs. Observes many teachers using short stories and picture books to insert…