One of the most innovative books for children we've seen in a long time is Teddy's TV Troubles, a reassuring story book to help families cope with today's violent world – from reports of child abductions to pictures of children caught in war. Written by children and media expert Joanne Cantor, PhD, author of Mommy, I'm Scared: How TV and Movies Frighten Children, it illustrates to both parents and children a series of age-appropriate activities to help children work through fears – from media or from life. Better yet, cleverly inserted suggestions teach them what to do if they do become frightened. It's a story book, an activity book and a going-to-bed book rolled into one! This is a classic – get one for every child under 6 in your life.

War and the Media offers a collection of critical essays from media scholars and professionals around the world, examining how our 24/7 news services work to cover news in a post-9/11 era that has media-savvy governments using news footage of crisis and conflict as political marketing tools. Providing front-line stories and analyses from the cable/internet news era, this books makes a good backgrounder by itself, or an excellent resource companion to the Media Construction of War: A Critical Reading of History curriculum.

Two new titles in this fine series of workbooks are Media Literacy: Thinking Critically About the Internet and Media Literacy: Thinking Critically About Visual Culture. The lively and engaging units feature reproducible handouts and well-constructed activities that cover not only content and creative issues but also economic forces and technical concerns.

Useful across the curriculum, these two, plus the first four titles (on movies, music, TV, and advertising – sold separately) provide a varied collection of basic media literacy-units to challenge students in grades 6-12.

In this election year, we're paying increasing attention to the interaction of media and politics. Celebrity-in-Chief: How Show Business Took Over the White House contends that the relationship between Washington and Hollywood has grown to the point where we elect our presidents not just on platforms and ideas but on the star power. Accessible anecdotes with shrewd commentary trace the media-presidency relationship as far back as Woodrow Wilson, illustrating that politics alone has never been enough for modern politicians-- they've got to be able to put on a good show! Engaging and good for use in the high school social studies and history classrooms.

What do teachers teach when they say they are teaching media? That question is the premise of a fascinating research study by Andrew Hart and Alun Hicks in England and summarized in a handy paperback Teaching Media in the English Curriculum. Despite the overlay of British lingo and educational jargon, the book provides valuable insights about what happens in the everyday ordinary classroom and how teachers prepare to teach media literacy concepts and ideas. "Excellent and original material" says Len Masterman on the back cover. Agreed.

• Updated: Media Literacy (Second Edition) is author W. James Potter's revision of his innovative and accessible classic. Engaging classroom exercises help students develop strong media literacy and critical analysis skills. Also useful as a reference for high school teachers.
  
  
• Updated: Racism, Sexism, and the Media (Third Edition) is the newest edition of authors Clint C. Wilson and Félix Gutiérrez's (now joined by Lena M. Chao) classic college text on race/gender bias in the media. New material includes sections on media experiences of women of color and the future of minorities and mass communication.
  
  
• Price Break: Alissa Quart's Branded: The Buying and Selling of Teenagers – the provocative exploration of brands, logos and youth culture – is now in paperback, with a reduced price of only $14.95.