Learning about books and children : Knowing children's literature : Children's literature defined -- Valuing literature for children -- Evaluating children's fiction -- Classics in children's literature -- The book awards -- Understanding children's responses to literature : Reading interests and preferences -- Growth patterns that influence response -- Response in the classroom-- The changing world of children's books : Early beginnings: the Middle Ages -- Children's books: the seventeenth & eighteenth centuries.
Children's literature: the nineteenth century -- Children's literature: the twentieth century -- Recent trends in children's books -- Exploring children's literature : Books to begin on : Developing initial literacy -- Babies' first books -- Toy books -- Finger rhymes and nursery songs -- Mother goose -- Alphabet books -- Counting books -- Concept books -- Wordless books -- Books about the common experiences of young children -- Books for the beginning reader -- Picture books : The picture book defined -- The art & artists of picture books.
The matter of style -- The language of picture books -- The content of picture books -- Themes & subjects in picture books -- Traditional literature : A perspective on traditional literature -- Folktales -- Fables -- Myths -- Epic & legendary heroes -- The bible as literature -- Modern fantasy : Fantasy for today's child -- Modern fairy tales -- Modern fantasy -- Science fiction -- Poetry : The meaning of poetry -- Selecting poetry for children -- Sharing poetry with children -- Contemporary realistic fiction : Realism in contemporary children's literature.
Becoming one's own person -- Coping with problems of the human condition -- Living in a diverse world -- Popular types of realistic fiction -- Historical fiction : Historical fiction for today's child -- Stories of prehistoric times -- Stories of the old world -- Stories of the Americas -- Into the twentieth century -- Nonfiction books : Trends in nonfiction books -- Criteria for evaluating nonfiction books -- Types of nonfiction books -- Using literature across the curriculum -- Biography : Biography for today's child -- Criteria for juvenile biography.
Types of presentation and coverage -- Autobiographies and memoirs -- Developing a literature program : Planning the literature program : Purposes of the literature program -- Different plans for literature programs -- The components of a literature program -- Sharing literature with children -- Providing time to read books -- Providing time to talk about books -- Providing time for the in-depth study of books -- Connecting literature and life -- Connecting books across the curriculum -- Assessment and evaluation -- The school and the community.