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Article: Literature groups: a model of the transactional process.
- Article from:
- Childhood Education
- Article date:
- June 22, 1993
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1993 Association for Childhood Education International. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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One of the main goals in early childhood education is to help children recognize the power of literature. This power stems from literature's ability to change the reader forever, "to take you out of yourself and return you to yourself--a changed self" (Short & Pierce, 1991, p. 4). Such a transformation requires readers to transcend the text, using their life experiences and "their experiences with literature to make meaning for themselves" (McConaghy, 1990, p. 39). If we want children to know the power of literature, we must surround them with books and opportunities to critically examine those books (Short & Pierce, 1991). We can provide such opportunities by establishing ...