Finding Books in the Library Catalog
You can locate children's books in InfoHawk+ by searching "Library Catalogs" for the Subject "picture books for children." Then change the "Sort by" filter on the left hand side to "Date-Newest."
Children's Literature in Context
The following resources provide access to reviews, author and illustrator information, and teaching resources.
- Children's Literature Comprehensive Database This link opens in a new windowOffers more than 240,000 reviews of both fiction and non-fiction children's and young adult books, as well as related professional books--all full text searchable from 35 review sources. You can limit your search by age, grade level, lexile level, year of publication and genre. There are also links to author and illustrator sites, awards and prizes, teaching materials, booktalks and other resources from the CLCD home page.
- Something About the Author (SATA) This link opens in a new windowProvides comprehensive online access to all volumes ever printed in Gale's acclaimed and long-standing Something About the Author series, which examines the lives and works of authors and illustrators for children and young adults and is the preeminent source on authors and literature for young people, and includes both the main series and Something About the Author Autobiography Series, totaling more than 217 volumes, 12,000 entries, and nearly 17,000 images.
- TeachingBooks.net This link opens in a new windowOnline database developed and maintained to include thousands of resources about fiction and nonfiction books used in the K–12 environment, with every resource selected to encourage the integration of multimedia author and book materials into reading and library activities.
Subscription is provided by Iowa AEAs. - Literature Criticism Online This link opens in a new windowSearchable database that provides access to the literary criticism collections Classical and Medieval Literary Criticism (CMLC), Children's Literature Review (CLR), Contemporary Literary Criticism (CLC), Drama Criticism (DC), Literature Criticism from 1400-1800 (LC), Nineteenth-Century Literary Criticism (NCLC), Poetry Criticism (PC), Shakespeare Criticism (SC), Short Story Criticism (SSC), and Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism (TCLC).
Authors & Illustrators on the Web
Web resources to get more information on authors and illustrators.
- Society of Children’s Book Writers and IllustratorsThe Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) is an international professional organisation for writers and illustrators of children's literature. It was founded in the US in 1971 by Lin Oliver and Stephen Mooser and is now the largest children's writing organization in the world. Browse the Illustrator Gallery to see online images from featured illustrators.
- Scholastic: Authors & IllustratorsThis resource includes biographies, interviews, author and study resources for children's book authors and illustrators.
- Reading Rockets: Video Interviews with Top Children's Book Authors and IllustratorsWatch Reading Rockets' exclusive video interviews with top children's book authors and illustrators. You'll discover if Chris Van Allsburg is really as spooky as his books, where Jon Scieszka gets his wacky ideas, and why Patricia Polacco's warm family tales seem so real.
- UK Children's Books - Directory of Authors & IllustratorsThis site provides links to the individual websites of UK-based authors and illustrators.
Collection Development Tools
The following databases can be used to inform collection development for school and public libraries.
- Children's Core Collection (H.W. Wilson) This link opens in a new windowRECOMMEND USING CHROME; A comprehensive collection development guide, this database provides librarian-selected titles chosen specifically for readers from preschool through grade five. Containing titles at five recommendation levels, this collection covers fiction and nonfiction works, story collections, picture books, graphic novels and magazines.
- Middle and Junior High Core Collection (H.W. Wilson) This link opens in a new windowFor libraries serving readers in grades five through nine, this is a collection development tool containing titles for nonfiction works, fiction and collections for children and adolescents. Selected and recommended by collection development specialists at 3 recommendation levels, listed books encompass a wide variety of topics for youth.
- Senior High Core Collection (H.W. Wilson) This link opens in a new windowThis collection is a selective list of fiction and non-fiction titles—recommended by collection development specialists—for high school students (grades 9 through 12), along with review sources and other professional aids for librarians and school media specialists.