Children learn to "read the writing on the walls" through print-awareness activities that involve them in creating visual displays to illustrate 12 favorite children's stories-classics like "The Three Little Pigs, "Goldilocks and the Three Bears," "Humpty Dumpty," and "Stone Soup." Six projects for each story focus on creating visual displays within a larger context of teachers modeling reading and writing, and then children imitating reading and writing behaviors. Reproducible patterns jumpstart the art projects. Grades preK-1. Illustrated. Good Year Books. 192 pages. Second Edition.

Food is a signifier of power for both adults and children, a sign of both inclusion and exclusion and of conformity and resistance. Many academic disciplines—from sociology to literary studies—have studied food and its function as a complex social discourse, and the wide variety of approaches to the topic provides multidisciplinary frames for understanding the construction and uses of food in all types of media, including children’s literature. Table Lands: Food in Children’s Literature is a survey of food’s function in children’s texts, showing how the sociocultural contexts of food reveal children’s agency. Authors Kara K. Keeling and Scott T. Pollard examine texts that vary from historical to contemporary, noncanonical to classics, and Anglo-American to multicultural traditions, including a variety of genres, formats, and audiences: realism, fantasy, cookbooks, picture books, chapter books, YA novels, and film. Table Lands offers a unified approach to studying food in a wide variety of texts for children. Spanning nearly 150 years of children’s literature, Keeling and Pollard’s analysis covers a selection of texts that show the omnipresence of food in children’s literature and culture and how they vary in representations of race, region, and class, due to the impact of these issues on food. Furthermore, they include not only classic children’s books, such as Winnie-the-Pooh, but recent award-winning multicultural novels as well as cookbooks and even one film, Pixar’s Ratatouille.

The Complete Works of Beatrix Potter is a phenomenal collection of timeless children's stories that have captivated readers for generations. Potter's unique blend of whimsy and charm is evident throughout her tales of talking animals and enchanting adventures, making this compilation a must-have for any young reader exploring the world of literature. With vivid descriptions and relatable characters, each story is a delightfully heartwarming experience that will surely leave a lasting impression. Beatrix Potter's writing style is simple yet profound, making it accessible to readers of all ages, while also showcasing her innate storytelling abilities. Her literary context within the genre of children's literature solidifies her reputation as a prominent figure in the field, influencing countless authors and illustrators to follow in her footsteps. Beatrix Potter, known for her love of nature and wildlife, drew inspiration from her surroundings to create her beloved characters and narratives. Her passion for conservation and the environment shines through in her stories, providing readers with valuable lessons about the importance of preserving the world around us. Potter's dedication to bringing joy and education to children through her writing is evident in her timeless works, which continue to be cherished by readers worldwide. I highly recommend The Complete Works of Beatrix Potter to all readers, young and old, who appreciate the magic of storytelling and the beauty of the natural world. This exquisite collection is a testament to Potter's enduring legacy as a master storyteller and an advocate for nature, making it a valuable addition to any literary library.

After conquering the Internet, cats are now taking on linguistics! Since the advent of social media, cats have become a topic central to online communication, and the multitude of cat-related accounts now online has made this a world-wide phenomenon. Through cat-inspired varieties of language, we have developed a genre of cat-inspired vocabulary. And on our special social media accounts for our cats, we take on their identities, as we post, write, talk, and chat - as our feline friends. This innovative book provides linguistic analyses of the cyber 'Cativerse', exploring online language variation, and explaining key linguistic concepts – all through the lens of cat-related communication. Each chapter explores a different sociolinguistic phenomena, drawing on fun and engaging examples including memes, hashtags, captions and 'LOLcats', from platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. Innovative yet accessible, it is catnip for all 'hoomans' interested in how language is used online.