Children's Literature

Overview

hoytsu@onid.orst.edu (Susan Hoyt) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:47:57 -0700

This is a general research guide for identifying and finding books for children and young adults, as well as information about this literature. You'll find suggestions for locating books, articles, topical overviews, research tools, and factual information. If further assistance is needed, please contact the subject librarian.

Children's Literature Librarian

hoytsu@onid.orst.edu (Susan Hoyt) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 17:36:59 -0700

Maureen Kelly

Quick Links

hoytsu@onid.orst.edu (Susan Hoyt) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:40:12 -0700

Academic Search Premier

Professional Development Collection

CLCD Children's Literature Comprehensive Database

ERIC Education Resources Information Center

ILL Forms

Off-Campus Access

E-campus

Finding Books

hoytsu@onid.orst.edu (Susan Hoyt) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:42:05 -0700

OSU Libraries Catalog: Materials owned by the OSU libraries are searchable through the online catalog. The catalog can conduct a search by author, title, or keyword. Most authors and illustrators can be searched through the "Author" field, last name first. When searching by subject or keyword, consult the Library of Congress Subject Headings volumes at the reference desk to help refine a broad search, or see the Subject-Access guides for Children's Literature below.

You can search the OSU Libraries Catalog from any computer with Internet access at: http://oasis.oregonstate.edu/.

Summit (Orbis): In addition to searching the OSU Libraries holdings, a search can be done of the holdings in the Orbis Cascade Alliance (multiple academic libraries throughout Oregon and Washington). These items are available to Oregon State faculty, staff, and students and can be sent through interlibrary loan within 3 working days when available, at no extra charge.

You can extend your search from OSU Libraries Catalog to Summit with the click of a button, or connect directly at: http://summit.orbiscascade.org.

WorldCat: If items cannot be located in either the OSU Libraries Online Catalog or Summit, WorldCat provides access to libraries across the globe, many of which can provide interlibrary loans to Oregon State University patrons. In order to request an item directly from this catalog, click the "ILL" icon at the top of the screen.

Browsing by Call Number: Many of the books intended for a juvenile audience are located in the Children's Library (5th floor, west side), which arranges materials using the Library of Congress Classification System for general subject areas:

A - General Works	H - Social Sciences	Q - Science
B - Philosophy, Psychology, Religion	J - Political Science	R - Medicine
C - Auxiliary Sciences of History	K - Law	S - Agriculture
D - History: General & Old World	L - Education	T - Technology
E - History: America	M - Music	U - Military Science
F - History: U.S., Canada, Latin America	N - Fine Arts	V - Naval Science
G - Geography, Anthropology, Recreation	P - Language & Literature	Z - Biography & Library Science

In addition, summary and critical works about children's literature are located in a few different call number ranges in the Valley Library general collection:
PN1008-1009 - Literature (General)-Juvenile Literature
PR990 - English Literature-Juvenile Literature
PS490 - American Literature-Juvenile Literature
PZ5-90 - Juvenile Belles Lettres
Z1037-1039 - Books for Special Classes of Persons

Book Awards

hoytsu@onid.orst.edu (Susan Hoyt) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:43:50 -0700

Books from the award lists can be searched in the OSU Libraries Online Catalog or the Summit catalog.

The following awards are indexed on the Association for Library Service to Children webpage:

Newbery Award Books
Caldecott Award Books
Michael L. Printz Award for Literary Excellence in Young Adult Literature
Pura Belpré Award
Coretta Scott King Book Award
Batchelder Award for Best English Translation
Robert F. Sibert Award for Best Children's Informational Book

Young Reader's Choice Awards

Alex Award Books [Best Adult Books for Young Adult Readers]

Alex award titles available at the Valley Library.

Database of Award-Winning Children's Literature [DAWCL]
"DAWCL has over 4,500 records from 56 awards across six English-speaking countries (United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, England, and Ireland). Each book is indexed to some degree so users can find it using the form search or the keyword search."

Children's Book Awards Handbook. Ref. Z1037.A2 M37 2006.
Information about children's literature awards and their namesakes

Children's Books: Awards and Prizes. Z1037.A2 C45 1992.
This compilation by the Children's Book Council offers lists of awards through 1992, in primarily English-language literature. Entries include a brief summary of the award sponsors' contact information, and each awardee's title, author, and publisher. The entries are organized by awarding method and country, then alphabetically by award title.

Children's Book Awards International, 1990 through 2000. Ref. Z1037.A2 S46 2003.
A one-volume reference for international awards given out between 1990-2000, with a brief description, date established, and sponsoring organization's contact information given for each award along with a list of the winning books.

Finding Articles and Book Reviews

hoytsu@onid.orst.edu (Susan Hoyt) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 09:20:55 -0700

Using Electronic Databases: The Oregon State University Libraries' electronic databases below may be searched for items relating to children's literature.

Basic Searching

Children's Literature Comprehensive Database: The CLCD provides reviews of more than 4,000 children's books annually. In addition, the database offers interviews with authors and illustrators, and theme-based review lists.

The EBSCOHost databases below can be searched by keyword, including author names and books titles. Another option is to use appropriate subject headings from the database's thesaurus or subject terms listings. Here are some suggested subject headings in these databases:

Children's literature
Children's literature, English
Children's literature in series
Children's plays
Illustrated books, children's
Young Adult literature
Young Adult literature, American
Young Adult fiction
Young Adult drama
Young Adult poetry

Academic Search Premier
Provides access to abstracts for over 4,500 publications, with full-text available for some titles. Some academic journals covering children's literature and related topics are covered by this database.

MAS Ultra
MAS Ultra is a periodical database designed for high school libraries, with full text access for nearly 500 popular high school magazines

MasterFILE Premier
A database of popular periodical titles intended for public libraries. Includes general reference and titles covering a broad range of interests.

Arts & Humanities Index
This index covers journals in the general humanities field with a U.S. focus, some of which include reviews and articles on children's literature. No full-text.

Subject-Specific Searching

ERIC
The largest database of education resources, covering journals and documents from 1966-present with some full-text available. When searching ERIC, it is necessary to use different subject headings than those available for the previously recommended databases. Some examples:

Childrens Literature (subject heading 1980-present)
Childrens Books (subject heading 1966-1980)
Adolescent Literature (subject heading 1973-present)
Childrens Libraries
Fairy Tales
Nursery Rhymes
Picture Books
High Interest Low Vocabulary Books
Reading Material Selection

Individual Electronic Journal Titles

Children's Literature in Education
Accessible full-text online through Academic Search Premier, 3/2001-current. Latest 12 months not available.

Cricket
(Child Lib. AP201.C8) Sept. 1984-Aug.1999
Accessible as full-text online through MasterFile Premier, May 1990-present.

Ladybug
Accessible as full-text online through MasterFile Premier, Jan. 1994-present.

Journal Titles in Print

Horn Book Magazine. Z1037.A1 H6 1947-1997. Indexed in Cumulative Book Review Digest Ref. Z1219.B6.

Encyclopedias and Dictionaries

hoytsu@onid.orst.edu (Susan Hoyt) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 09:47:47 -0700

International Companion Encyclopedia of Children's Literature.

Ref. PN1008.5 .I57 2004
Attempts to provide a comprehensive resource to children's literature in an international context that includes articles on theory and criticism, genres, types, contexts, countries, and applications of children's literature.

The children's literature dictionary: definitions, resources, and teaching activities. Ref. PN1008.5 .L38 2002

The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature. Ref. PN1008.5 C37 1984
This encyclopedia contains summary entries for major authors, illustrators, titles, characters, and themes in British children's literature, listed alphabetically.

Handbooks and Directories

hoytsu@onid.orst.edu (Susan Hoyt) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 09:48:07 -0700

Children & Books (9th ed.). PN1009.A1 S879 1997
The latest edition of a resource first edited by May Hill Arbuthnot in 1947 is a general text covering children's literature from wordless books to young adult fiction, focusing primarily on English-language children's literature in the United States and Britain.

Essentials of Children's Literature. PN1009.A1 L96 1995
A brief overview of literary genres, applications, and book recommendations for children, including selected award lists, suggestions for literature use in the classroom, and a directory of professional resources.

Literature for Today's Young Adults. PN1009.A1 D65 1993
This is another general guide to juvenile literature, but one that focuses on young adult (teen) level works. Sections break down the literature by genre or subject theme.

Children's Books in Print. Ref. Z1037 .A1 C482
This index allows you to determine what items an author or illustrator currently has in-print, as well as searching the print availability of specific titles.

International Directory of Children's Literature. Ref. PN1008.4 D86 1986
This directory provides contact information for children's literature publishers, magazines, organizations, seminars and conferences, prizes, and libraries for 84 countries worldwide. Statistics on publishing volume for each country in 1980-81 is also included at the end of the volume.

Bibliographic Sources

hoytsu@onid.orst.edu (Susan Hoyt) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 09:51:10 -0700

A to Zoo: Subject Access to Children's Picture Books. Z1037.L715 (latest edition in Reference; earlier editions in stacks)
A to Zoo provides a subject access reference for nearly 23,000 picture books, and can be used to find a number of titles on a given topic (dragons, knights, etc). This reference can also help determine the subject areas of a particular title or author.

Adventuring With Books: A Booklist for Pre-K-Grade 6. Z1037.N346
This volume created by The National Council of Teachers of English has lists of recommended books, by subject and genre, each with a brief plot summary. Chapter sections begin with the specific criteria used to select that general subject range (Science, History, Family, Fine Arts, etc).

The H.W. Wilson standard catalogs for school libraries provide a good bibliographic source for subject access and recommendation of juvenile literature. The catalogs divide the field by grade level, and each catalog is organized by the Dewey Decimal system for nonfiction and fiction works. Entries are annotated with a brief summary of the book and any awards it may have won. Yearly supplements shelved near the main catalog volumes provide additional references, although the most recent years are generally not available.

Children's Catalog. Ref. Z1037.W5 (latest edition available in Reference).
Nonfiction, fiction, and picture books recommended for a collection that serves K-6th grades.
Middle and Junior High School Library Catalog. Ref. Z1037.W6 (latest edition available in Reference).
Fiction and nonfiction books for children grades 5-9.
Senior High School Library Catalog. Ref. Z1037.W7 (latest edition available in Reference).
Fiction and nonfiction books for a 9th-12th grade collection.

The Best Books for. . . series is another annotated bibliographic resource that provides recommendations for creating a popular collection of books for youth, grouped by grade level. The entries are organized by subject, and then alphabetized by author name.

Best Books for Children: Preschool through Grade 6. Z1037.B547 1998
Best Books for Young Teen Readers: Grades 7-10. Z1037.B55 2000

Book Review Index. Ref. Z1219.B62
This index includes all the main review periodicals that cover children's and young adult literature. Coverage: 1965-current.

Biographical Sources

hoytsu@onid.orst.edu (Susan Hoyt) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 09:53:47 -0700

Twentieth-Century Children's Writers. Ref. PN1009.A1 T9 1983
This biographical dictionary includes alphabetical entries for major authors of juvenile fiction, poetry, and drama, primarily from the United States and Britain. Includes a list of titles authored (both juvenile and adult items) with each entry.

Book of Junior Authors and Illustrators. PN1009.A1 K82 (latest in Reference; earlier editions in stacks).
The Book of Junior Authors and Illustrators provides brief biographical sketches of notable children's authors and illustrators aimed at a juvenile audience.

Black Authors and Illustrators of Children's Books (2nd ed.). Ref. PN1009.A1 R631 1992
A specialized biographical dictionary that includes entries for both living and deceased black children's authors and illustrators. Each has a bibliographic list of titles authored or illustrated at the end of the entry.

The Dictionary of Literary Biography has a number of titles relating to children's authors and illustrators available:
American Writers for Children: 1900-1960. PS490.A43 1983
American Writers for Children Since 1960: Fiction. PS374.C454 A4 1986
American Writers for Children Since 1960: Poets, Illustrators, and Nonfiction. Ref. PS490.A45 1987
British Children's Writers: 1914-1960. PR990.B75 1996
British Children's Writers Since 1960. PR990.B753 1996

Other Research Guides

hoytsu@onid.orst.edu (Susan Hoyt) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 08:53:07 -0700

Education
http://osulibrary.oregonstate.edu/research/srg/educ.htm

Human Development & Family Sciences
http://osulibrary.oregonstate.edu/research/srg/hdfs.htm

Language & Literature
http://osulibrary.oregonstate.edu/research/srg/langlit.htm

Useful Websites

hoytsu@onid.orst.edu (Susan Hoyt) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:47:50 -0700

Bibliotherapy Education Project
Provides a form for systematically evaluating books (Bibliotherapy Evaluation Tool) and a searchable database of evaluations for books potentially useful in therapeutic applications. Also provides information on bibliotherapy and links to additional sources for children's and young adult literature.

Children's Literature Web Guide
A resource page for children's literature and award information from the University of Calgary, this site provides comprehensive lists of international awards through 1999.

Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University
The Children's Picture Book Database allows keyword searching of over 5,000 book abstracts, without pictures.

Children's Literature: Lesson Plans & Resources
Work around the advertising to find links to lots of lesson plans incorporating children's and young adult literature.

International Children's Digital Library
A project at the University of Maryland to create a digital collection of international children's literature online. Books can be browsed by subject, genre, title, author, and continent. Includes North America.

Juvenile Series and Sequels
This database, provided by the Mid-Continent Public Library, indexes juvenile fiction series by author, volume titles, series title, and subject.

Web English Teacher--Children's Literature

Web English Teacher--Young Adult Fiction