There are four purposes of the literature program: discovering delight in books, linking literature to life, developing literary awareness, and developing appreciation. The major emphasis in the elementary program is discovering delight; the other purposes are in diminishing order as listed.

There are many ways in which literature can be and is taught. In some cases literature is integrated with the basal reading program, often by including sustained silent reading and a read-aloud time. Many schools have moved to literature-based reading programs, integrating reading and writing across the curriculum, often in thematic units.

A literature program must be reflected in its environment. Components of a successful literature program include a classroom flooded with invitingly displayed books, an attractive reading center with theme-related books, and an enthusiastic teacher. Literature should be shared with children by reading aloud, storytelling, giving book talks, and providing time for children to read books of their choice. Time should be devoted to talking about books through conversations, discussion groups, and guided discussion. The use of divergent questions and children’s own questions is essential to book discussions.

In-depth experiences with books enable students to deepen response to literature and are especially helpful for guiding interpretation.

The process of writing is frequently integrated with the literature program through reading logs, response journals, and writing workshop techniques. Writing experiences are related to all the other extensions. Literature serves as a model in other ways, such as its strong organizational patterns and continuous adventures.

Children’s experiences with books can be extended through a wide variety of media. Art forms such as flat pictures, collages, murals, dioramas, and displays are all appropriate forms for enabling children to peruse ideas from a book. Graphic organizers are visual representations of ideas. Useful forms are circular maps, semantic maps, Venn diagrams, and comparison charts. Many values besides literary ones can be gained from these activities.

Experiences of singing, movement, matching music with books, and composing music for stories are growth opportunities.

Dramatizations take many forms. The authors give special attention to the value and learning derived from creative dramatizations and Readers’ Theater. Puppetry is an especially pleasurable way for children to interpret stories and build on ideas they have learned from literature.

Planning to use literature across the curriculum increases children’s appreciation of literature and provides important background knowledge. Exploring books by assembling artifacts, collections, maps, timelines, and jackdaws is helpful in encouraging children to explore the realms of knowledge. Generating a web of possible activities is a way to plan for a classroom unit on a book, author, genre, or theme.

Evaluation of children’s reading must go beyond paper-and-pencil tests following the reading of brief passages. Teachers should take into consideration children’s literacy backgrounds in planning a literature program. Teachers can assess reading ability with the concept of print tests, running records, and miscue analysis. Various types of records can be kept of children’s work: teacher observations, work or writing folders, and assessment portfolios. Student and parent conferences are essential. Literary understandings must be evaluated over time and to a particular group of children.

A commitment to literature must be shared by teachers, librarians, principals, and parents. Whole-school literature programs include buddy reading, whole-school units, mini-courses, and author/illustrator visits. Essential to any program is a trained media specialist and an active library media center.

The selection of children’s books is the responsibility of the professional staff that must establish guidelines for making book choices. Censorship is an enduring problem and must be dealt with appropriately by all members of the professional staff. Literature links with the community are volunteer readers, the public libraries, and library outreach to preschool and homeless children.

Sets of general guidelines for evaluating a literature program are developed in the text. The first goal of a literature program is to teach children to become lifetime readers.