This article looks closely at a subset of books about literacy in and out of school by analyzing images of children learning and struggling to learn to read in realistic fiction. There are several books in which characters wish to learn to read, worry about being poor readers, and work hard to learn to read. These books raise important questions…

Presents an interview with Janet Hickman. Notes that she is a highly respected scholar in children's literature and a recognized and much lauded author of novels for children. Discusses disparate topics from her earliest encounters with print to mandates surrounding scientifically based reading research (SBRR). (SG)

Focuses on children of the 21st century and their books, both of which have changed dramatically over the past decade. Suggests that teachers and librarians need to recognize and understand the implications of these changes in children and their books in order to provide a reading environment to which children will readily relate and in which they…

Offers five "images" (personal recollections) of reader response in the life of the author/educator. Suggests that while each image offers insight into the nature of response, each still supports the need for initial personal connections to the text whether the ultimate goal is motivating readers, enhancing reading ability, or creating…

Notes that the author was struck by the "self-centered" readers she encountered in her classroom and at professional conferences--readers who respond to reading by thinking of their own life and experiences. Argues that reading is so much more than a trip into the self. Presents two brief responses, by Lauren L. Wohl and Daniel Hade. (RS)

Concludes that the author's study of the once-popular but now largely forgotten periodical "The Youth's Companion" shows how children's literature can call forth in readers a powerful response--a personal, literary, critical and active response that is shaped by a text's purpose, promise, positioning of readers, and the enduring passion it…

Argues that the way teachers and students transact with a piece of literature needs to change if teachers are to change the way students read and see themselves as readers. Suggests teachers need to support a variety of responses and avoid the tendency to reduce discussion to a search for a single main idea. Includes a brief response by Susan…

Attempts to predict trends and changes that will accompany children's books into the 21st century and beyond. Hopes that readers will recognize how difficult it is to detach from the context of one's own lifetime experience with children's books. Suggests that the need of the human spirit to belong and be accepted will always give literature the…

Argues that teachers should facilitate and promote the admission of children into the "literacy club," but notes that many teacher-education students are not yet active, passionate members of the literacy club. Describes using "reading clubs" in teacher-education courses to expose preservice teachers to the passion and joy of children's…

Discusses the "Teachers as Readers" movement, which focuses on teachers reading children's literature and responding personally to the literature as readers. Concludes that the Teachers as Readers movement is an effective tool for teacher renewal and for professional development. Suggests that participation in Teachers as Readers groups continues…

Chronicles significant changes in an elementary school teacher's perception of herself as a reader as revealed through her journal entries and contributions to class discussions while taking a graduate course in children's literature. Suggests that personal beliefs and habits of reading can influence how teachers teach children. (RS)