Coraline by Neil Gaiman has several characters who in many ways break gender norms. The main protagonist of the novel, Coraline, acts more in accordance with masculine gender norms, and the mother figures are mothers who do not fully conform to the traditional mother role. The purpose of this study is to look at how Coraline and the mother figures ...
This study examines booktalk, that is, teacher-led group discussions about books for children in a Swedish school. The empirical data comprise 24 hours of videorecorded booktalk in grades 4–7. In total, 40 children (aged 10–14 years) were recorded during 24 sessions. The present approach diverges from previous readerresponse studies in that it draw...
Published in Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education
This article presents examples that illustrate how teachers use children’s literature in the teaching of mathematics. The examples are related to four curriculum ideologies that have influenced mathematics education in the USA for the last 75 years. It discusses why it is relevant to help teachers understand the ideological positions that influence...
The present paper addresses how ‘Otherness’ is co-construed in booktalk in a Swedish school. The data consist of video-recorded teacher led booktalk sessions, involving small groups of pupils in grades 4–7. Seven of the eight books discussed were – at least partly – set in settings foreign to the present pupils. We found that a basic teacher device...
Published in Early Childhood Education Journal
Conflict is a very real part of relationships that occur on global, national, and local scales, as well as in daily interpersonal relationships. This article details the relevance of peace studies for children in the primary grades, both in terms of current events and in classroom applications. Suggestions are presented for addressing this topic th...
Published in Children's Literature in Education
Faith Ringgold, best known for Tar Beach, her 1991 Caldecott award winning picturebook, has been addressing social issues in her art since the early 1960s. The purchase of her Tar Beach story quilt by the Guggenheim Museum demonstrates the acceptance of her fabric art by the fine arts community. An examination of the connections between Ringgold’s ...
The purpose of this dissertation is to study the fantastic in the tales of the Italian children’s author Gianni Rodari. This analysis is grounded in the hypothesis that the fantastic is primarily characterized by two esthetic qualities, play and lightness, both of which are manifested at different levels in these texts, as well as in the relation b...
Published in Early Childhood Education Journal
Current research on the foundations of emotional well-being reveals how significant adults can establish roots of happiness in children. Carter (2005) suggests that these roots can be nourished through positive thoughts and emotions; flow and fulfillment; and relating to others, especially through the use of emotional intelligence. Twenty-five lite...
Published in Early Childhood Education Journal
Well-chosen and wisely shared literature facilitates transitions and builds bridges in the lives of young children. Literature links are discussed and books are reviewed for infant, toddler, preschool, and primary age children and transitional readers.
Published in Early Childhood Education Journal
The National Reading Panel (NRP) issued a Congressional mandated report to identify key skills and methods related to the development of successful reading skills. One of the first of identified skills is phonemic awareness. This column addresses this area of reading instruction and provides suggestions for literature to be shared with young reader...
