Literary study should benefit both children's pleasure and skill in reading. In this engaging book, Barbara Lehman shows how to create meaningful, intellectually stimulating programs of literary study that are developmentally appropriate for students' needs, interests, and experiences (ages 5-12). Drawing on her extensive scholarship in the fields of children's literature and literacy instruction, she offers practical ideas for creating programs that accomplish curricular goals in literary ways. Featuring a usable overview of important literary theories as well as many practical teaching ideas, this book will help classroom teachers become more knowledgeable and self-assured about creating their own literature programs for children.It provides a theoretically based model for creating developmentally appropriate literary study programs for elementary schools. It describes methods for teaching across the curriculum, including how to set up a classroom for literary learning. It includes references with annotations of more than 130 children's books.

Foreword by: Janet Hickman