Creating a “literary environment’’ in the classroom and at home is the goal of a recently introduced journal for parents and educators called Teaching and Learning Literature, or TALL.
Edited by a former public school principal and teacher, the five-issues-per-year publication has an editorial board that includes scholars in reading, literature, education, and the social sciences.
Its focus will be on the improvement of reading and writing skills through programs that introduce children and young adults to high-quality literature. Articles will blend literary and instructional theory with practical advice and will include author interviews, original book reviews, digests of reviews published elsewhere, evaluations of textbooks, a calendar of events, and resource listings.
The magazine is available bi-monthly during the school year for $29; for subscription information, write TALL, P.O. Box 328, Brandon, Vt. 05733-0328, or call (802) 247-8312.
Winners of the most prestigious awards in children’s literature, the John Newbery and Randolph Caldecott medals, were announced at the midwinter meeting of the American Library Association last month.
Cynthia Rylant’s Missing May, the story of two children’s emotional journey after a friend’s death, won the 1993 Newbery Medal for most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. Mirette on the High Wire, by Emily Arnold McCully, won the Caldecott Medal, given to honor the best children’s picture book.
The 1993 Coretta Scott King Author Awards for outstanding African-American authors and illustrators went to Patricia McKissack for The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural (also named as a Newbery Honor Book), and Kathleen Atkins Wilson for illustrations in The Origin of Life on Earth: An African Creation Myth.
The world’s leading dinosaur experts have created a new tool for teaching children about scientific discovery: The Dino Times, a monthly newspaper for children ages 5-12, that mixes paleontological news with puzzles, contests, and word and drawing exercises. The paper comes with membership in The Dinosaur Club, created for children by The Dinosaur Society, an international nonprofit science organization.
The $19.95 membership includes 12 issues of the paper, a four-color poster, and a certificate. Teachers may subscribe for school copies for $16.95, and may reproduce pages for class use.
Write The Dinosaur Society, 338 Elm St., South Dartmouth, Mass. 02748, or call (508) 990-8808.
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