Much of teachers' attention these days is focused on having students read closely to ferret out the author's intended meaning and the devices used to convey that meaning. But we cannot forget to guide students to have moving engagements with literature, because they need to make strong personal connections to books of merit if they are to become the next generation of readers: literate people with awareness of and concern for the diversity of human beings around them and in different times and places. Fortunately, guiding both students' personal engagement with literature and their close reading to appreciate the author's message and craft are not incompatible goals. This book enthusiastically and intelligently addresses both imperatives, first surveying what is gained when students are immersed in literature; then celebrating and explicating the main features of literature students need to understand to broaden their tastes and deepen their engagement, at the same time they meet external standards; then presenting a host of active methods for exploring all major genres of children's books; and finally presenting suggestions for interdisciplinary teaching units grounded in literature. Created by noted leaders in the fields of children's literature and literacy, the book is enlivened by recurring features such as suggested reading lists, issues for discussion, links to technology, and annotations of exemplary books.

Miriam G. Martinez is a Professor Emeritus. She teaches reading and children's literature courses at the University of Texas at San Antonio. She conducts content analyses of children's books as well as research on children's responses to literature and their understanding of various literary genres and formats. In addition to articles in various journals, her publications include Children's Books in Children's Hands, Thinking and Learning through Children's Literature, and Books Come Alive. She is actively involved in the Children's Literature Assembly and serves on the board of the United States Board of Books for Young People. In addition, she is currently serving as chair of the primary sub-committee of the ILA Children's & Young Adult Book Awards Committee, and is also a member of the regional committee of the Tomás Rivera Award Committee. She has served as co-editor of the Journal of Children's Literature and the Journal of Literacy Research. She has served on various award committees including the Caldecott, the Geisel, and the Sibert Committees.