Children's Literature
This is a general research guide for those interested in identifying or finding books for children or 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:
Subject Librarian for Education:
phone 737-7272
email paula.mcmillen@oregonstate.edu
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Academic Search Premier | Professional Development Collection | CLCD | ERIC | ILL Forms Off-Campus Access |
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| Finding Books in Online Catalogs | Other Useful Internet Sites | |
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| Finding Articles in Journals | Other Useful Subject Research Guides | |
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Handbooks & directories
Awards
Biographical Information
Bibliographies, Subject-Access, Literature Reviews
Finding Books in Online Catalogs
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
Finding Articles and Book Reviews in Periodicals
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 & Dictionaires
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 & Directories
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.
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.
Ref. Z1037 .A1 C482
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.
Awards
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
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
Information about children's
literature awards and their namesakes
Ref. Z1037.A2 M37 2006
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.
Biographical Information
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
Bibliographies, Subject-Access, Literature Reviews
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.
Other Useful Internet Sites
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.
Passport: International Children's Literature
Directory of awards, authors, illustrators, organization, publications, and publishers for children's literature that takes its setting or is published outside of the United States.
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
Other Useful Subject Research Guides
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
Return to the Alphabetical or Subject index of the Subject Research Guides.
Created by Katie Cunnion, library intern; maintained by Paula McMillen.
