Describes an interview with children's author Karen Hesse, discussing such things as how she chose writing as a career, her use of figurative language and her skillful crafting of dialog, where her book ideas come from, and her latest projects. (SR)

Offers brief annotations of 34 children's books published in 1998. Organizes them around themes of stories, a child's view, crossing borders, ways of words, memories, and challenges. (SR)

Explores one vision of a multifaceted classroom community (comprised of teachers, an intern, cross-age tutors, students, and parent volunteers, all from a variety of language and ethnic backgrounds) in a classroom where authentic discourse and language diversity flourish as children develop many electronic and non-electronic literacies. Notes that…

Discusses four books written by teachers for other teachers that share stories of expertise, of new discoveries, of interpretations and perceptions. Argues that these stories will help new teachers feel less isolated and lonely and will help them to become better teachers and learners. (SR)

Offers brief annotations of 21 picture books that address cultural diversity while offering language that supports beginning readers. Includes a chart noting which language features that support beginning readers are part of each book. (SR)

Outlines a major literacy initiative for urban children taking place in the Dallas, Texas Public Schools. Describes several different programs at the school district level aimed at family and community outreach, in order to create a literacy-education support system with primary care givers in the homes. (SR)

Discusses why elephant riddles are viable catalysts for word play and language development in the primary grades. Explores some relationships between children's thinking and elephant riddles. Offers some suggestions for incorporating them as a regular part of the classroom flow. (SR)

Determines readability levels for each of the Caldecott Medal books, and presents the full list. Finds that the overall grade-level readability average was 4.75. Offers some suggestions for using the books in elementary classrooms. (SR)

Shares numerous short descriptions from readers of this journal describing their ideal reading classroom. Includes specific "creative and engaging" ways to teach reading in those classrooms. (SR)

Evaluates several types of text used for beginning reading instruction (texts based on high-frequency and phonetically regular words, as well as the trade books of current literature-based reading programs) by examining the tasks each poses for young readers. Examines for each particular type of text what a beginning reader needs to know about…

Relates a conversation with Paul O. Zelinsky, winner of the 1998 Caldecott Medal for his elegant Italianate "Rapunzel" in Renaissance style. Describes the challenges and pleasure of using a historical setting to tell a good story and delight the viewers' eyes. (SR)

Describes a model of evaluating literacy that places students' understandings in the foreground of assessment and instructional decision making. Describes gathering a variety of data that represent various perspectives, interpreting these data critically, and developing appropriate teaching strategies, which are then refined with student feedback.…

Describes eight steps that help students develop the skill necessary for analyzing their work and articulating their progress and goals. Describes how "We Can Charts" help students assess their growth as readers, explain their growth in reading to parents, and develop new reading goals. Discusses the characteristics of active learners and…

Finds that with teacher scaffolding (modeling, explicit instruction, feedback, and the creation of contexts for sharing), first graders can write thoughtful, personal, and extended responses to books in their literature-response journals. Discusses teacher and peer scaffolding, and literacy development. Describes in detail the children's…

Describes experiences with first-grade children on two "literacy walks" through the streets around their school. Argues that the print that surrounds children in urban communities can provide an excellent source of literacy conversation and learning, and that by taking literacy walks with children in their community, teachers can learn much about…