Storytime

The author draws on his own extensive research in urban classrooms to present a comprehensive, grounded theoretical model of children’s understanding of picture storybooks—the first to focus specifically on young children. Advancing a much broader and deeper theory of literary understanding, the author suggests that children respond in five different ways during picture storybook readalouds; that these responses reveal that children are engaged in different types of literary meaning-making; and that these types of meaning-making are examples of five foundational aspects of literary understanding.

Capturing the liveliness of children’s responses, this dynamic volume:

• Describes picture storybooks as sophisticated aesthetic objects worthy of children’s literary critical abilities.
• Offers a theory of literary understanding that is relevant to contemporary young children from a wide variety of ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Includes a wealth of examples of children’s responses to literature and how teachers scaffold their interpretation of stories.
• Examines the significance of young children’s literary interpretation, factors that influence literary understanding, and implications for practice and further research.

Lawrence R. Sipe is an associate professor in the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education.

“The highest recommendation I can make is that I learned so much.... You will too!”
—From the Foreword by P. David Pearson, University of California, Berkeley

“An important contribution to the field.”
—Miriam Martinez, University of Texas at San Antonio

“The single most important book on this topic since Applebee's The Child's Concept of Story…it is also a pleasure to read.”
—Lee Galda, University of Minnesota

“Sipe provides a comprehensive theory of literary understanding specific to contemporary young children’s interactions with picture books. Storytime is grounded in well-documented research, an in-depth knowledge of literary theory, and enlivened by insightful commentary.”
—Glenna Sloan, Professor Emerita, Queens College of the City University of New York

"As a working illustrator who spends most days drawing or painting or dreaming about children's picturebooks, I sometimes wonder, 'Is there really any point to all of this?' In this book, Larry Sipe shows me clearly, wittily, and thoroughly that there is."
—Chris Raschka, Caldecott Medal–winning children's book author and illustrator

“Those of us who work with children, picturebooks, and teachers could have no more insightful guide to their interactions than Larry Sipe himself.”
—Nancy L. Roser, University of Texas, Austin