Children's Literature/School Library Media:

The Dewey Library contains many reference works for students specializing in school library media and children's literature, including book reviews and abstracts, guides to authors, guides to books and poetry for children, histories of children's literature, etc.  The University Library has a large collection of children's books.  A significant collection of historical children's literature, The Miriam Snow Mathes Historical Children's Literature Collection, is housed in the M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives in the new library building.  The collection contains over 8,500 children's books and periodicals from the 19th century to 1950.

Some of the reference works most frequently used by school library media, children's literature students and faculty are listed here.

• Carpenter, Humphrey and Mari Prichard. The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1984.
  This is a reference work on English and American children's book authors and illustrators. It includes "articles on traditional materials, illustrators, characters from cartoons, films, radio and television." Entries vary in length from brief to detailed.
  DEWEY REF PN 1008.5 C37
   
• International Companion Encyclopedia of Children's Literature. London, Routledge, 2004.
  This volume contains detailed essays, with references, on several areas of children's literature: theory and critical approaches, types and genres, the context and applications of children's literature and children's literature around the world.
  DEWEY REF PN 1008.5 I57
   
• Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults. Washington, DC, Beacham Publishing. 1989-2001. 12 volumes.
  Covers over 450 works. Gives an overview and then includes coverage of the author, setting, themes and characters, literary qualities, social sensitivity, topics for discussion and ideas for reports and papers.
  DEWEY REF Z 1037 A1 B38

• Children's Literature Review. Detroit, Gale Group. Annual.
  Provides overviews of the careers of authors and illustrators along with excerpts from published criticism in books and periodicals.
  DEWEY REF PN 1009 A1 C5139
   
• Children's Literature Abstracts. Austin, TX, International Federation of Library Associations. Quarterly.
  Brief abstracts.
  DEWEY REF Z 1037 A1 C55X
   
• Children's Book Review Index. Detroit, Gale Group. Annual.
  Provides access to reviews of thousands of children's books and periodicals.
  DEWEY REF Z 1073 A1 C475
   
• Pettus, Eloise S. Master Index to Summaries of Children's Books. Lanham, MD, The Scarecrow Press, 1985. 2 volumes.
  This work indexes summaries of children's books for pre-school to Grade 6 found in bibligraphies, children's literature textbooks, and books of activities based on childrens books. Covers the period 1974-1980.
  DEWEY REF Z 1037 P46 1985
   
• Pettus, Eloise S. Master Index to More Summaries of Children's Books 1980-1990. Lanham, MD, The Scarecrow Press, 1998. 2 volumes.
  A continuation of the above work covering the period 1980-1990.
  DEWEY REF Z 1037 P46 1998
   
• Kliatt. Wellesley, MA, Kliatt. Six issues/year.
  Kliatt publishes reviews of paperback books, audiobooks and educational software recommended for libraries and classrooms serving young adults. Each issue contains a title index.
  DEWEY REF Z 1037 A1 K65X

• Continuum Encyclopedia of Children's Literature. New York, Continuum, 2001.
  This encyclopedia includes 1200 entries on children's authors and illustrators. Each entry includes a short biography and a list of works.
  DEWEY REF PN 1008.5 C66 2001
   
• Twentieth Century Children's Writers. 3rd ed. Chicago, St. James Press, 1989.
  This volume contains a brief biography, complete list of published books and a critical essay on 800 English language authors of fiction, poetry and drama for children.
  DEWEY REF PN 1009 A1 K55X 1989
   
• St. James Guide to Young Adult Writers. Detroit, St. James Press, 1999.
  This is the companion work to Twentieth Century Children's Writers. It covers 500 authors of fiction, poetry, and drama for young adults as well as selected authors of nonfiction works. Entries include a biography, a signed critical essay, and a list of works.
  DEWEY REF PS 490 Z999 S84 1999
   
• Something About the Author. Detroit, Gale Group, Annual. 155 volumes.
  This is an ongoing reference series that contains detailed information about English language authors and illustrators of children's books. A good source of information on emerging authors and illustrators.
  OVER* PN 451 S6

• Safford, Barbara Ripp. Guide to Reference Materials for School Library Media Centers. 5th ed. Englewood, CO, Libraries Unlimited, 1998.
  This is a comprehensive work that covers elementary, middle and senior high school reference materials and is designed to aid librarians in selecting for their collections.
  DEWEY REF Z 1037.1 W95
   
• The Elementary School Library Collection: A Guide to Books and Other Media. 22nd ed. Williamsport, PA, Brodart Co.
  This work covers books, periodicals, compact discs, CD-ROM's, video cassettes, sound recordings and more and is a "primary resource for the continuous development, evaluation and maintenance of existing collections as well as for the establishment of new library media centers."
  DEWEY REF Z 1037 E4
   
• Best Books for Children: Preschool through Grade 6. 7th ed. Westport, CT, Libraries Unlimited, 2003.
  The preface states that the aim of this work is "to provide a list of books recommended to satisfy both a child's recreational reading needs and the demands of a typical school curriculum." The seventh edition covers over 23,000 titles and is designed to help librarians evaluate a collection, select books, and prepare bibliographies and reading guides. There is also a 2003 supplement this edition.
  DEWEY REF Z 1037 G48 2002
   
• Best Books for Middle School and Junior High Readers: grades 6-9. Westport, CT, Libraries Unlimited, 2004.
  The second volume in the series begun by Best Books for Children, this book provides a list of 14,000 titles recommended for middle and junior high school readers.
  DEWEY REF Z 1037 G482 2004
   
• Best Books for High School Readers: grades 9-12. Westport, CT, Libraries Unlimited, 2004.
  This final volume in the Best Books series recommends more than 14,000 fiction and nonfiction titles for readers from 15 to 18 years old.
  DEWEY REF Z 1037 G4816 2004
   
• Senior High School Library Catalog. 16th ed. New York, HW Wilson Co., 2002.
  This reference work is based on the recommendations of practicing librarians and is a "selective list of fiction and non-fiction books for young adults along with review sources and other professional aids for librarians and school library media specialists." The fifteenth edition covers 5,321 titles for grades 9 through 12.
  DEWEY REF Z 1037 W77
   
• Middle and Junior High School Library Catalog. 8th ed. New York, HW Wilson Co., 2000.
  This work has the same format as the Senior High School Library Catalog and covers 4,520 titles.
  DEWEY REF Z 1037 W7752
   
• Children's Catalog.  18th ed.  New York, HW Wilson Co., 2001.
  This is a "comprehensive list of fiction and non-fiction books and magazines for chilren from preschool through grade 6".  It contains books published or distributed in the U.S and is organized in 4 sections: (1) the classified catalog in Dewey Decimal order; (2) author, title, subject, analytical index; (3) list of recommended CD-ROM reference works; (4) directory of publishers and distributors.  The 17th edition includes 6,738 titles and has annual supplements.
  DEWEY REF Z 1037 W76

• Children's Books, Awards and Prizes. New York, Children's Book Council, 1996.
  This volume describes 213 awards and prizes and lists the recent winners. Categories of awards covered are: U.S. awards selected by adults; U.S. awards selected by young readers; Australian, Canadian, New Zealand and United Kingdom awards; and selected international and multinational awards.
  DEWEY REF Z 1037 A2 C52
   
• The Coretta Scott King Awards Book, 1970-2004. Chicago, American Library Association, 2004.
  Contains descriptions of the winning and honor books by African-American authors and illustrators as well as selected biographies.
  DEWEY REF Z 1037 A2 C67
   
• Smith, Laura. Children's Book Awards International: A directory of awards and winners from inception through 1990. Jefferson, NC, McFarland & Co., Inc., 1992.
  As stated in the introduction, the aim of this directory is "to make a record of all awards given for the writing and illustrating of children's and young adult literature." The directory is organized alphabetically by country. Each award is described in detail, including the sponsor, sponsor's address and phone number, a contact, date the award was established, what the award consists of and winners from inception to 1990.
  DEWEY REF Z 1037 A2 S45
   
• Smith, Laura. Children's Book Awards International,1990 through 2000. Jefferson, NC, McFarland & Co., Inc., 2003.
  This volume extends the work begun by Smith in Children's Book Awards International.
  DEWEY REF PN 1009 S46 2003
   
• Brown, Muriel W. and Rita Schoch Foudray.Newbery and Caldecott Medalists and Honor Book Winners: bibligraphies and resource material through 1991. 2nd ed. New York, Neal-Schuman Publishers, 1992.
  This work is "a guide to the 327 individual authors and illustrators who have been recipients of the 529 Newbery and Caldecott medals and honor books recognition since the awards' inception." It includes information on the author or illustrator's awards, a bibliography, listing of collections and background readings.
  OVER* PN 1009 A1 N62X

• Fountain, Joanna F. Subject Headings for School and Public Libraries: An LCSH/Sears Companion. 3rd ed. Englewood, CO, Libraries Unlimited, 2001.
  This work lists headings for topics, names of individuals, corporate bodies, places and works that might be needed to catalog a general collection used by children.
  DEWEY REF Z 695 Z8 L5235

• ALSC Resources Page
  The Association for Library Services to Children division of the ALA provides recommended book lists, links to online children's libraries, resources for children's librarians, and more.
• Carol Hurst's Children Literature Site
  This site includes reviews of children's literature, information on authors and illustrators, and curriculum/literature connections.
• Fairrosa Cyber Library of Children's Literature
  This site is a collection of web materials related to children's literature. It contains links to reviews, booklists, and websites about authors as well as a reading room with texts of classic children's books.

  International Children's Digital Library

  Digitized children's literature from 27 cultures in 15 languages.

  Kids and the Internet: The Promise and the Perils

  National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) brochure containing guidelines for librarians and library trustees.

  KidsClick!

  Collection of Web sites created by the Ramapo Catskill Library System to address concerns about the role of public libraries in guiding young users tovaluable and age appropriate sites.

  Vandergrift's Children's Literature Page

  Developed by Kay Vandergrift, a professor emeritus at Rutgers University, this site has extensive reading lists for graduate students studying children's literature and bibliographies on special topics, such as sensitive issues and cookbooks related to children's stories.

  YASLA Booklists and Book Awards Page

  The Young Adult Library Services Association division of the ALA maintains this page, which includes booklists and book awards.