Annotated Bibliography

with a Bibliotherapy Focus

Clare Kappel
Frasier, M.M., & McCannon, C. (1981). Using bibliotherapy with gifted children.
Gifted Child Quarterly,
25, 81.
This article begins by defining bibliotherapy and briefly explaining how and
why it should be used with gifted children. It points out the ways in which students
can use books to develop a self-concept and satisfy personal and social needs
through reading. Bibliotherapy can aid students in finding solutions to their
problems.
The article then goes into the ways in which educators can create a
bibliotherapy program. By identifying student needs, consulting with librarians, and
providing a variety of classroom resources for student, and teacher can begin to
help students address their needs through bibliotherapy. The article also includes
tips for teachers and a collection of books that would be a good fit for the program.
The list is quite thorough and would be very helpful for parents and educators of
gifted children.
Jack, S. J., & Ronan, K.R. (2008). Bibliotherapy: Practice and Research. School
Psychology International,
29(2), 161-182.
This article examines early and modern literature dealing with the use of
books as therapeutic tools. The authors researched the historical use of therapeutic
reading, finding examples like libraries in psychiatric hospitals in the 1700s, the
appointment of librarians to those libraries in the mid-1800s, and the emerging of
bibliotherapy as a term and practice in the early 1900s. The practice became more
formalized after World War I, when patient libraries were common in hospitals.
The authors then move into early and current research surrounding
bibliotherapy. In the early years, case studies were popular forms of conducting
studies on the effects of bibliotherapy. Case studies conducted by Sister Mary Agnes
in 1946 demonstrated positive effects of bibliotherapy on socially maladjusted
girls. Dr. Louis A. Gottschalk (1948) supervised a trained reading instructor and
discovered many benefits relating to the bibliotherapy practice.
The authors were concerned about the varying methodologies in current
research and wondered if there would be a more quantitative way of analyzing
bibliotherapy practices.
Jensen, E. (2009). Teaching with Poverty in Mind: What Being Poor Does to Kids
Brains and What
Schools Can Do About It. Alexandria, Va: ASCD.
Jensens article discusses the challenges parents face when they live in
poverty. They are often disengaged and not focused on the needs of their children.
Other stressors result in harsh discipline and physical or verbal abuse towards
children. As a result, children who come from impoverished homes often display

traits of PTSD. Students do not develop appropriate emotions or know how to act in
social situations.
Jensen speaks of the usefulness of bibliotherapy as a way to teach students
how to understand their emotions. In the same way young children must be taught
to brush their teeth and comb their hair, they must also be taught how to
comprehend and reflect on their emotional state.
Lacy, M. (2015). Portraits of Children of Alcoholics: Stories that Add Hope to Hope.
Childrens Literature
In Education, 46(4), 343-358.
This article was an exciting find! It dissects three young-adult books that deal
with children who have alcoholic parents. Ive personally read two of the three
books, so this literary analysis was very useful in demonstrating the ways in which
the books could be helpful to my students.
Lacy analyzes A True Story of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexi, Harris and
Me by Gary Paulsen B is for Beer by Tom Robbins. These books allow students to
identify with characters who are relatable. These characters are also strong willed
and reject the cycle of alcoholism and victimization. Students who read these books
can envision a different life for themselves, just as the characters do.
Rotigel, J. V. (2003). Understanding the young gifted child: Guidelines for parents,
families, and
educators. Early Childhood Education Journal, 30(4), 209-214.
This article begins by stating the fact that parents and educators are often illprepared to address a childs social and emotional development. Many parents
misunderstand what it means for their children to be gifted, and as a result, the
childrens needs are not noticed and not met. Teachers, as well, might not recognize
disruptive and problematic behaviors as indicators of overexcitability. The article
also addresses the problem of uneven development and the ways in which the
curriculum can and should be modified. It also includes several resources for
parents and educators.
Slocumb, P.D., & Payne, R.K. (2000). Identifying and Nurturing the Gifted Poor.
Principal: The New
Diversity (79)5, 28-32.
In Slocum and Paynes study, they discussed the ways in which students
would experience inadequacy when compared to their more affluent peers. The go
on to describe the sacrifices made by low-income students who choose to be a part
of a gifted program. They also discuss how schools and teachers are not properly
equipped to provide the low-income gifted student with quality content and support.
As a result, low-income gifted students are often left behind.
Steward, P., & Ames, G. (2014). Using Culturally Affirming, Thematically Appropriate
Bibliotherapy to
Cope with Trauma. Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, 7(4), 227-236.
This article studies a group of African American children in the aftermath of
Hurricane Katrina. It begins by discussing the kinds of trauma experienced by

children in a large scale natural disaster. What made Hurricane Katrina different
from other natural disasters is the long lasting effects of the storm. Children were
still in trailer parks away from their homes up to 2-3 years after the storm. Also,
children in New Orleanss public schools were academically unprepared to go to
other schools, so there are endless layers to the negative effects caused by the
storm.
The authors claim that bibliotherapy is the right tool to use with these
children because they can relate to situation or character in order to work through
feelings and emotions even when they cannot articulate their struggles at other
times. The authors stressed the important of using culturally affirming materials.
In order for bibliotherapy to be its most effective, it must present a situation or
character students can related to.
Steward and Ames had short, mid, and long term goals for their study. The
short term goal was to provide children with a safe place to express their emotions.
The mid-length goal was to improve self-esteem and self-worth while also improving
literacy. The long term goal was to improve the quality of life and potential
opportunities for these children.
This article provides steps for implementing bibliotherapy with marginalized
populations as well as a list of resources that would be the most helpful for the
students.
Tussing, H.L., & Valentine, D.P. (2001). Helping Adolescents Cope with the Mental
Illness of a Parent
Through Bibliotherapy. Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal, 18(6), 455469.
In Gifted Hands, Ben Carsons mother spends a lot of time away from her
children so she can seek psychiatric help for her depression. My students also
experience their parents/guardians leaving for long periods of time and witness
their depression.
This paper begins by describing the nature of mental illness and its
prevalence in the United States. The authors then go into the needs of children of
those who are suffering from mental illness. The lack of consistency and a stable,
safe home environment often leads to frustration and aggression in children.
The authors then discuss the various reasons for using this strategy. It allows
students to safely address their underlying concerns about their parent; it is a
reality-correcting experience in which readers can experience how other
characters see themselves, their world, and their immediate situation leading to
consensual validation. Adolescents especially benefit from the idea of consensual
validations, as their peers opinions and views become increasingly important. The
authors of this paper also provide guidelines for choosing appropriate literature.