ROBERTS, Patricia L(ee) 1936-

PERSONAL: Born 1936, in Coffeyville, KS; daughter of Philip Lee and Lois Ethel (Wortham) Brighton; married James E. Roberts, October 5, 1953; children: James Michael, Jill Frances. Education: California State University, Fresno, B.A., 1953, M.A., 1964; University of the Pacific, Ed.D., 1975.

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Author Mail, Scarecrow Press, Inc., 4720 Boston Way, Suite A, Lanham, MD 20706.

CAREER: California State University, Sacramento, professor of education, 1969—.

MEMBER: International Reading Association, National Council for Research on English.

AWARDS, HONORS: Cited among distinguished alumnae of the year, University of the Pacific, 1975-76.

WRITINGS:

Counting Books Are More than Numbers: An Annotated Action Bibliography, Library Professional Publications (Hamden, CT), 1990.

Alphabet: A Handbook of ABC Books and Book Extensions for the Elementary Classroom, 2nd edition, Scarecrow Press (Lanham, MD), 1994.

Developing Multicultural Awareness throughChildren's Literature: A Guide for Teachers and Librarians, McFarland (Jefferson, NC), 1994.

Integrating Language Arts and Social Studies for Kindergarten and Primary Children, Merrill (Englewood Cliffs, NJ), 1996.

Taking Humor Seriously in Children's Literature: Literature-based Mini-Units and Humorous Books for Children Ages 5-12, Scarecrow Press (Lanham, MD), 1997.

Multicultural Friendship Stories and Activities for Children Ages 5-14, Scarecrow Press (Lanham, MD), 1997.

Literature-based History Activities for Children, Grades 4-8, Allyn & Bacon (Boston, MA), 1997.

Literature-based History Activities for Children, Grades 1-3, Allyn & Bacon (Boston, MA), 1998.

Language Arts and Environmental Awareness: 100 Integrated Books and Activities for Children, Shoe String (North Haven, CT), 1998.

A Guide for Developing an Interdisciplinary Thematic Unit, 2nd edition, 1999, 3rd edition, Merrill (Upper Saddle River, NJ), 2002.

Family Values through Children's Literature, Grades K-3, Scarecrow Press (Lanham, MD), 1999.

A Resource Guide for Elementary School Teaching, 5th edition, Merrill (Upper Saddle River, NJ), 2000.

Family Values through Children's Literature, Grades 4-6, Scarecrow Press (Lanham, MD), 2002.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Research on best teaching practices for the elementary grades.

SIDELIGHTS: Patricia L. Roberts told CA: "What torques me up for writing? Well, it is the dynamics of what is going on in our world that affects teaching in the elementary classroom. What influences me? The needs of the teachers in the classroom. What inspires me? When there's a teaching need that interests me and that could be supported by a written teaching resource—then I'm into it. An interest in whale language launched the alphabet book on presenting language patterns; an interest in best practices for teaching launched A Resource Guide for Elementary School Teaching; the reports of poor student performance in history knowledge launched the two literature-based history activities books; an interest in integrated curriculum was the springboard for the thematic unit guide; and my current focus is on values and family."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Arithmetic Teacher, February, 1991, George Nattrass, review of Counting Books Are More than Numbers: An Annotated Action Bibliography, p. 48.

Booklist, August, 1998, Hazel Rochman, review of Language Arts and Environmental Awareness: 100 Integrated Books and Activities for Children, p. 2020.

Choice, February, 1995, S. R. Johnson, review of Alphabet: A Handbook of ABC Books and Book Extensions for the Elementary Classroom, 2nd edition, p. 919.

School Library Journal, May, 1990, Phyllis Matill, review of Counting Books Are More than Numbers, p. 48; May, 1994, Naomi Caldwell-Wood, review of Developing Multicultural Awareness through Children's Literature: A Guide for Teachers and Librarians, p. 36; May, 1998, Penny Peck, review of Taking Humor Seriously in Children's Literature: Literature-based Mini-Units and Humorous Books for Children Ages 5-12, p. 55; October, 1998, Kathleen Isaacs, review of Multicultural Friendship Stories and Activities for Children Ages 5-14, p. 51; March, 1999, Marcia Brightman, "Nurturing with Nature," p. 125.

Wilson Library Bulletin, May, 1990, James Rettig, review of Counting Books Are More than Numbers, p. 124.