The Healing Power of Books

Corrections: An editor's error appears in our review of Nancy Tafuri's You Are Special, Little One (Scholastic, 2003; Oct., p. 140). King penguins and arctic terns do indeed share the same habitat for several months of the year during the northern birds' migration.

Several erroneous Web addresses appeared in our October 2003 Curriculum Connections feature "The Money Hunt" (pp. 12–14). All links have been corrected on our Web page at slj.reviewsnews.com/index.asp?layout=article&articleid=CA328185.

Your August 2003 feature article ("Saving Kids From Despair," pp. 46–49) is an important contribution on a difficult topic. Author Jami Jones describes the scope of a problem that exceeds most of our collective imagination. As she notes, there is a role for school librarians here. One element of the approach Jones describes is linking kids, their teachers, and their parents with good fiction books that feature characters who encounter the same problems. Also, reading a book that contains a character who is facing a similar issue can help a child talk about his own problem or facilitate discussion in a group, as Jones does in her booktalks.

But it's important that we identify the quality fiction available and distinguish it from the preachy, unappealing books sometimes characterized as bibliotherapy. My experience is that too many books are described as bibliotherapy with little regard for how their intended audience is likely to react.

Cheryl Coon, Portland, OR

I was shocked, no, appalled when I read the article referring to the 64 most literate cities ("How Literate Is Your City?" September 2003, p. 24). I teach in San Antonio, Texas (ranked #60). So upset was I that during advisory and throughout the day, I discussed this article with my seventh-grade science students. I no longer want to hear the moans of "we have how many pages to read?" I also discussed literacy and the lack of prospects for college and employment without the basic skills that reading brings. I have always believed that children will read when they are interested in a subject. I hope that we, as stunned Texas educators, can get these students engaged in that quest for knowledge and maybe even squeak by in the "literate ratings" by convincing parents that it is time for their little legacies to turn off the video games and the TV.

Pamela J. Meissner, Science teacher, John Connally Middle School, San Antonio, TX

Thank you for your timely and informative Chat Room article, "Early Literacy, en Español" (October 2003, p. 43). Of course, I very much agree with your statement, "...we need more educational sites in Spanish for kids and parents—a lot more." This is exactly what the Barahona Center for the Study of Books in Spanish for Children and Adolescents provides Spanish-speaking children and their parents, high-quality Spanish-language books for preschool through grade 12. On our Web site (www.csusm.edu/csb), under "Libros Recomendados," we provide bibliographic information, grade level, subject headings, and a brief description of more than 6,000 books in both Spanish and English as well as weekly updates of recent titles. Thank you for highlighting such an important need.

Isabel Schon, Director, Barahona Center for the Study of Books in Spanish for Children and Adolescents, California State University San Marcos, San Marcos, CA

Thank you for your September article "Texas School District Gives Boost to Libraries" (News, p. 22). I hope it spurs other Texas schools to evaluate their libraries using the state's school library standards.

However, I want to clarify one point made in the article. It states that the "Texas Education Agency sets rigorous school library standards...." Actually, it is the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) which is mandated to set school library standards. The standards referenced in the article were adopted by TSLAC in 1997.

The State Library is currently involved in an extensive and collaborative process to revise the school library standards; we anticipate final adoption in spring 2004. Then the hard work of educating school districts, administrators, and librarians begins.

The revised standards have been much anticipated by our school library community as the current ones do not adequately address technology needs or the needs of students learning in this new environment. Information about the standards revision process appears at www.tsl.state.tx.us/ld/schoollibs/index.html.

Erica McKewen, Communications Officer, Texas State Library and Archives Commission, Austin, TX