AMONG CHILDREN <i> by Tracy Kidder (Houghton Mifflin: $18.95; 262 pp.) </i>

“Here is a book that you could read on the beach, it is that pleasant and diverting; but here is a book that, if taken to heart by the right people, could change the face of America. If you think you’ve read your last book on education, try just this one more.”