George B. Brain Education Library
Guide to Information Resources in EducationSubject Guide to Children's and Young Adult Literature
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Web Sites | Library GuidesThe resources listed below may include freely-available sites on the World Wide Web, printed materials available in the Washington State University Libraries, and electronic resources available only to WSU-affiliated users. One or more of the following symbols should be found next to each of the individual resources listed below:
- (WWW) - World Wide Web (a site that is freely available to all users);
- (PDF) - World Wide Web Resources created in a "pre-defined data format." Requires you to install the Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer;
- (WSU) - WSU Library Resource (an item that is physically available in the George B. Brain Education Library, or elsewhere in the WSU Libraries. The call number that follows the WSU designation may point non-WSU users to similar resources in their local libraries):
- (WORD) - Resource available through the World Wide Web, but created using Microsoft Word. Requires you to have Word installed on your computer, or to have the Microsoft "Word Viewer."
Note: Clicking on any of the links to external resources provided below will open a new browser window.
This is a listing of print and electronic resources available through the WSU Libraries relevant to the study of children's and young adult literature. Collected here are links to resources collected elsewhere on this Web site, and to listings of printed materials described in the WSU Libraries' Guide to Children's Literature. You will also find materials listed here that are not found anywhere else on this site, but are specifically related to the study of children's and young adult literature.
Children's and young adult literature includes literature that is written for children and young adults, and/or is read by them. Literature written for children and young adults is generally categorized by intended age groups. These categories include board books, wordless books, picture books, chapter books, young adult novels, and others. Most young adult novels are written for children aged 12 and older, although they may be read by younger children as well. Nonfiction books are important as well, especially as more K-12 teachers incorporate them into their lesson plans. Fiction and poetry may be incorporated as well.
Children's and young adult literature may be studied from both an educational and literary point of view. Those studying children's and young adult litearture from an educational point of view tend to focus on the impact of the literature on children's education and development and how it might be used within curricula, while those studying it from a literary point of view may focus on a given author's use of technique, symbols, or other elements.
- Griffin (WWW)
- Use Griffin, the WSU Libraries' online catalog to locate children's and young adult books at WSU. Begin with a keyword search that combines a given topic with the term "juvenile literature." Here are some examples:
- Christmas juvenile literature
- holidays juvenile literature
- insects juvenile literature
- asia juvenile literature
- wordless juvenile literature
- numbers juvenile literature
- art juvenile literature
- lewis and clark juvenile literature (Griffin will ignore the "and")
You can also use Griffin to find information by or about specific authors and illustrators. For books by them, use an author search with their names. An example is "Scieszka, Jon." For books about them, try a keyword or subject search (i.e. "Jon Scieszka").
In addition, you may use Griffin ato locate books and other materials relevant to the study of children's and young adult literature. You may search by author, title, and subject. Subject headings that may be helpful include:
- Children's literature
- Children's poetry
- Children's stories
- Young adult literature
- Young adult fiction
- Young adult poetry
For additional assistance in using Griffin, please consult the Guide to Using Griffin (PDF).
To locate materials not held in the WSU Libraries', you may also search Summit, or make use of our Interlibrary Loan services.
For more information, please consult the Guide to Finding and Getting Books.
- ERIC (1966- ) (WWW)
This database is available online through the WSU Libraries home page. The Educational Resources Information Center produces this index to over 750 scholarly journals in the field of education. Also included is an index to thousands of "education documents," unpublished materials of all types that have been archived by ERIC and made available through the ERIC microfiche collection (including lesson plans, conference papers, speeches, government reports, etc.). The ERIC microfiche collection is available in the Brain Education Library. Electronic access to the full text of selected journal articles is available through "Electronic Collections Online,", and access to selected ERIC documents is available through "E*Subscribe."
URL: http://www.wsulibs.wsu.edu/griffin/indexes.htm (select database by title)
Education Abstracts (1983- ) (WWW) (WSU Educ Reference Z5813 .E23)
- This database is available online through the WSU Libraries home page. Over 350 educational publications are indexed in this database, including periodicals, yearbooks, and monographs. The print counterpart to this database, Education Index (1929- ), is available in Brain Education Library Reference. Electronic access to selected journal articles is available through Education Abstracts.
URL: http://www.wsulibs.wsu.edu/griffin/indexes.htm (select database by title)
MLA International Bibliography (1963- ) (WWW) (WSU Holland Reference Z7006 .M64)
This database is available online through the WSU Libraries home page. It indexes over 4,000 publications, including journals, books, and series. It includes articles on using children's and young adult literature in the classroom, as well as on the literary study of children's and young adult literature.
URL: http://www.wsulibs.wsu.edu/griffin/indexes.htm (select database by title)
Directories and Bibliographies of Children's and Young Adult Books
Children's Catalog, Mid & Jr HS Lib Catalog, Sr HS Library Catalog, Fiction Catalog (WWW)
These four online catalogs allow one to search for books by a variety of ways, including author, title, keyword, reading level, and publisher. Individual entries include brief summaries and subject classifications.
URL: http://www.wsulibs.wsu.edu/griffin/indexes.htm (select database by title)
A to Zoo: Subject Access to Children's Picture Books, 6th ed.
(WSU Education Reference Z1037 .L715 2001)Children's Book Council, Children's Books: Awards and Prizes (WSU Education Reference Z1037 .A2 C52 1996)
Children's Literature Web Guide: Children's Book Awards (WWW)
The Newbery & Caldecott Awards : A Complete Listing of Medal and Honor Books
(WSU Education Reference Z1037 .A2 N474 2001)
Best
Books for Children: Preschool through Grade 6 , 7th ed.
(WSU Education
Reference Z1037 .G48 2002)
Junior
Genreflecting: a Guide to Good Reads and Series Fiction for Children
(WSU
Education Reference Z1037 .V66 2000)
Many Peoples, One Land: a Guide to New Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults (WSU Education Reference PS173 .E8 H45 2001)
Recommended
Books in Spanish for Children and Young Adults: 1996-1999
(WSU Education
Reference Z1037.7 .S387 2000)
The Cambridge Guide to Children's Books in English
(WSU Education Reference PR990 .C36 2001)The Continuum Encyclopedia of Children's Literature
(WSU Education Reference PN1008.5 .C66 2001)Index to Poetry for Children and Young People, 1988-1992
(WSU Education Reference PN1023 .B68 1994)International Companion Encyclopedia of Children's Literature
(WSU Education Reference PN1008.5 .I57 1996)Children's Books and Their Creators
(WSU Education Reference PN 1009 A1 C494x 1995)Something About the Author. Multiple volumes
(WSU Education Reference PN 451 S6)
Cumulative indexes at the back of each volume. See also the Literary Index, available from the WSU Libraries Article Indexes/E-journals page at http://www.wsulibs.wsu.edu/griffin/indexes.htmAuthors & Artists for Young Adults. Multiple volumes
(WSU Education Reference PN 451 A87x)
Cumulative indexes at the back of each volume.Children's Literature Review. Multiple volumes
(WSU Education Reference Table PN 1009 A1 C5139) Cumulative indexes at the back of each volume.Children's Book Review Index. Multiple volumes
(WSU Education Reference Table PN A1 C5x)
Selected Journals, Electronic Journals, and Other Serials
Lion and the Unicorn (1977-2003, WSU Education PN1009.A1 L54) (1995-present, available online)
Children's Literature in Education (1978-2003, WSU Education Z1037.A1 C5) (2004-present, available online)
Journal of Children's Literature (WSU Education Z1037.A1 C15x)
The ALAN Review (WSU Education Z1037.A1 A43x) (also available online)
The Horn Book Magazine (WSU Education Z1037.A1 A15)
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (WSU Education Z1037.A1 C4) (some online coverage also available)
The Looking Glass (available online)
School Library Journal (WSU Education Z675.S3 S36) (some online coverage also available)
Book Links (WSU Education Z1037 .B7218) (some online coverage also available)
For more information on electronic journals at WSU, please consult the Finding Electronic Journals page.
You may also want to look at journals that cover literacy and reading. Many general teaching or subject content journals also include reviews of relevant children's and young adult books.
Professional and Scholarly Organizations
- Children's Literature Assembly (an affiliate of the National Council of Teachers of English)
- Assembly on Literature for Adolescents (an affiliate of the National Council of Teachers of English)
- Center for Children's Books
Vandergrift's Children's Literature Page (WWW)
Edited by Kay Vandergrift, a professor at Rutgers University, this side includes author profiles and essays about children's literature.
URL: http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~kvander/YoungAdult/index.htmlVandergrift's Young Adult Literature Page (WWW)
Edited by Kay Vandergrift, a professor at Rutgers University, this side includes author profiles and essays about young adult literature.
URL: http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~kvander/YoungAdult/index.htmlThe Horn Book, Inc. (WWW)
Includes essays and audio files about specific authors and illustrators, and about children's and young adult literature in general.
URL: http://www.hbook.com/The De Grummond Children's Literature Collection (WWW)
Includes guides to the Collection's archival holdings of a number of children's and young adult authors and illustrators. Many of the guides include biographical statements.
URL: http://www.lib.usm.edu/~degrum/Writing, Illustrating, and Publishing Children's Books: The Purple Crayon
Includes tips and hints for aspiring children's and young adult authors and illustrators, as well as general information about the field.
URL: http://www.underdown.org/
The following are links to pathfinders, finding aids, and other guides to WSU library resources in children's and young adult literature.
Children's Literature (PDF)
- A summary of the content from this page ready for printing. This guide does not include every resource listed on this page.
URL: http://www.systems.wsu.edu/bin/libdocs/subject/ChildrensLit.pdf
Children's Literature Book Reviews (PDF)
- Focuses on finding book reviews for children's and young adult literature.
URL: http://www.systems.wsu.edu/bin/libdocs/subject/ChildrensLitReviews.pdf
Selected Juvenile Authors and Illustrators (PDF)
- A selected list of authors and illustrators with especially strong holdings at the Education Library.
URL: http://www.systems.wsu.edu/bin/libdocs/subject/JuvAuthsIlls.pdf