ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the role of fiction and poetry in the primary classroom. It discusses the link between children's literature and learning about literacy. The chapter emphasises the importance of reading to children. It offers suggestions for stories and poems to read to children. The chapter presents ways in which stories and poems can be studied and enjoyed. It also looks at the importance of fiction and poetry in the classroom and at the importance of reading both stories and poems to children. Children's listening skills can be developed through prolonged exposure to engaging stories. Class-management problems might arise when teachers read to children if the children are not interested in the story. Some teacher's knowledge of children's literature may be limited and restricted to stories and poems they read or heard as a child. Cremin worked on the United Kingdom Literacy Association (UKLA) project Teachers as Readers: Building communities of readers.
