While many books of the time explored pedagogical, psychological, and linguistics perspectives of children's writing, Reading Children's Writing (originally published in 1986) takes a fresh and innovative approach by examining text-organizational methods of analysis.
The book considers 'whole texts' produced by children of either top junior or lower secondary age-a time of transition which involves them in significant changes of writing styles. Here the authors consider the organizational features of narrative and non-narrative writing; the use of vocabulary; and the evaluation of children's work.
The volume provides a useful and interesting insight into the methods of describing, evaluating, and developing children's writing ability. It will be a beneficial read for teachers at primary and secondary level, and for linguists concerned with language in education.
