A Guide to Research in Literature for Children and Young Adults

1.      Reference Sources for general information on books and authors/illustrators, definitions, genres, critical theory, etc.

a.       Carruth, Gorton.  The Young Reader’s Companion.  Curric. Ref. 809 C319y

b.      Cullinan, Bernice.  The Continuum Encyclopedia of Children’s Literature.  Curric. Ref. 809 C7629

c.       Denman-West, Margaret W.  Children’s Literature: A Guide to Information Sources.  Curric. Ref. 016.8088 D397c

d.      Huck, Charlotte.  Children’s Literature in the Elementary School.  Curric. Ref. 028.1 H882c

e.       Hunt, Peter, ed.  International Encyclopedia of Children’s Literature.  Curric. Ref. 809 I61

f.        Jacobs, James S.  Children’s Literature, Briefly.  Curric. Ref. 809 J17c

g.       Jones, Raymond.  Canadian Children’s Books: A Critical Guide to Authors and Illustrators.  Curric. Ref. 810.9 J787c

h.       Latrobe, Kathy.  The Children’s Literature Dictionary: Definitions, Resources, and Teaching Activities.  Curric. Ref. 809 L3641c

i.         Norton, Donna E.  Through the Eyes of a Child: An Introduction to Children’s Literature.  Curric. Ref. 028.1 N883t

j.        Sutherland, Zena.  Children and Books.  Curric. Ref. 028.1 S966c

k.      Watson, Victor.  The Cambridge Guide to Children’s Books in English.  Curric. Ref. 820.9 C1785

2.      Books/Bibliographies

a.       Books for Children

                                                               i.      Browse the shelves in the Curriculum Materials Center in Easy, Fiction, and Classified books (000-999) sections

                                                             ii.      WebPALS searches

1.      Author or illustrator: Do an author search under the person’s name, last name first.  Example:  PATERSON KATHERINE

2.      Title:  Do an exact title or title keyword search.  Exact title example:  MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS.  Keyword example:  MAKE WAY DUCKLINGS

3.      Subject or topic:  Do a keyword search under your topic and the word “juvenile.”  For example:  GRANDFATHERS JUVENILE

b.      Browse the shelves on 4th floor in these call numbers

                                                               i.      Books about children’s literature: PN1009

                                                             ii.      Bibliographies of children’s books & books about the reading interests of children and young people: Z1037

c.       WebPALS subject term searches

                                                               i.      CHILDREN BOOKS READING

                                                             ii.      CHILDREN’S LITERATURE CRITICISM

                                                            iii.      CHILDREN’S STORIES CRITICISM

                                                           iv.      PICTURE BOOKS CHILDREN

                                                             v.      YOUNG ADULT FICTION CRITICISM

                                                           vi.      YOUTH BOOKS READING

3.      Selected periodicals (journals and magazines)

a.       A list of the library holdings related to children’s and young adult literature is available from the CMC web site at http://www.mnstate.edu/cmc/Bibliographies/TeacherPeriodicals.html

b.      Back issues of periodicals are located on 2nd floor.  Current issues are available at the 1st floor Periodicals Desk.

4.      Biographical information/general information on the author’s work

a.       “Biographical Sources about Authors or Illustrators of Books for Young Readers.”  Use this electronic bibliography as a complete list of resources in the Library.

b.      Books featuring one author or illustrator.  Do a subject heading keyword search in WebPALS under the name of the author/illustrator.  Book example:  Carle, Eric.  The Art of Eric Carle.  New York: Philomel, 1996.

c.       Gale Search Databases (electronic databases with citations and full-text) available from CMC web site at www.mnstate.edu/cmc under K-12 Databases.

                                                               i.      “Contemporary Authors”

                                                             ii.      “Discovering Collection”

                                                            iii.      “Junior Edition”

                                                           iv.      “Junior Reference Collection”

                                                             v.      “Kid’s Edition”

                                                           vi.      “Student Edition”

d.      Junior Authors and Illustrators

                                                               i.      Book format:  Curric. Ref. 920.03 S625

                                                             ii.      Electronic version available from CMC web site at www.mnstate.edu/cmc under K-12 Databases.

e.       Something About the Author.  Curric. Ref. 920.03 S696.  To determine which volume to use, look up your author or illustrator in the last odd numbered volume.

5.      Book reviews

a.       Children’s Books Review Index.  Curric. Ref. 028.52 C5362 1975-.  Provides citations for reviews for children’s books.  Arranged alphabetically by title and also includes an illustrator and title index.

b.      Additional book review indexes.  Both titles are located in the 1st floor Reference section opposite the Periodicals/Documents Desk.

                                                               i.      Book Review Digest, 1905-.  Includes excerpts from some reviews.

                                                             ii.      Book Review Index, 1965-. 

c.       WebPALS.

                                                               i.      Do a keyword search in the “General Magazines” database under the name of your author and the title of the book.  Some reviews are in full-text.

                                                             ii.      Do a title search in the electronic version of Books in Print.  Some full-text reviews.

d.      Junior Authors and Illustrators.  The on-line version provides citations and some full-text of book reviews.  Search under the name of your author.

e.       Gale Search Databases

                                                               i.      “Junior Edition”

                                                             ii.      “Student Edition”

6.      Literary criticism

a.       WebPALS.  For books about your author, do a keyword search in the library catalog under the name of your author, plus the word criticism.

b.      The Art of Children’s Picture Books: A Selective Reference Guide.  Curric. Ref. 011.62 M311a.  An index to essays about picture books.

c.       Children’s Literature: A Guide to the Criticism.  Hall, 1987.  Curric. Ref. 011.62 H498c.  An index to criticism of authors and books published up to 1987.  Look up your author or title in the index

d.      Children’s Literature Abstracts, 1973-99.  Located in the CMC Reference area. The most comprehensive index for research in children’s literature.

e.       Children’s Literature Association Quarterly, 1982-.  Housed in periodicals.  The summer issues of the Quarterly are bibliographies of materials selected from Children’s Literature Abstracts.

f.        Children’s Literature Review.  Curric. Ref. 028.52 C5363.  Includes excerpts of critical essays from books and periodicals.  Look up your author in the index of the last volume.

g.       Contemporary Literary Criticism.  Ref. PN771 .C59.  Includes selected children’s authors; provides excerpts of criticism about the works of authors who are still alive or who have died since 1959.  Look up your author in the cumulative index in the latest volume.

h.       Essay and General Literature Index, 1934-2000.  An index to articles in books that are collections of essays.  Available in book format at Index Table #4.  Also available electronically on FirstSearch from the Library home page.

i.         Fantasy Literature for Children and Young Adults.  Curric. Ref. 016.80883 L989f.  Provides an index to critical articles as well as additional information about fantasy.

j.        Humanities Index, 1974-1995.  Indexes articles, book reviews, interviews, etc.  Available in book format at Index Table #4.  Also available electronically on FirstSearch from the Library home page.

k.      Horn Book Index, 1924-1989.  Curric. Ref. 011.62 D275h.  Indexes critical articles, as well as book reviews.

l.         Junior Authors and Illustrators.  The on-line version provides citations and some full-text articles.  Search under the name of your author.

m.     MLA International Bibliography, 1963-. Available electronically at the Guest 1 CD-ROM station on 1st floor of the Library.  An index to articles, books, proceedings, dissertations, etc. in the fields of literature, language, linguistics, and folklore.

n.       “Project Muse.”  Provides electronic access to the full-text of scholarly journals in the arts and humanities, as well as other fields.  One of the children’s literature journals available electronically is The Lion and the Unicorn.  “Project Muse” is available from the Library home page.

o.      Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism.  Ref. PN94 .G35.  Includes selected children’s authors; provides excerpts of criticism about works of authors who lived between 1900-1960.  Look up your author in the cumulative index in the latest volume. 

p.      Writers for Young Adults.  Curric. Ref. 921 W956.  Includes YA authors, as well as authors typically read in the junior high-senior high school curriculum.  Entries give an overview of the author’s work, including a selected bibliography of works by and about the author.  Use the cumulative index in the last volume.

7.      Resources for ideas for teaching literature

a.       WebPALS.  Do a keyword search under your topic plus the word “teaching.”  For example, fantasy teaching.

b.      WebPALS.  Do a keyword search in the ERIC database under your topic, such as picture books, poetry, fantasy, etc.  You may also search under the name of your author.

c.       Beacham’s Guide to Literature for Young Adults.  Curric. Ref. 028.1 B365.  Includes teaching ideas, as well as information about authors and their books.  Locate your author or novel in the index of the last volume.

d.      “Creative Ideas for Encouraging Students to Respond to Literature.”  This is an electronic bibliography of books available in the Library.  Available from the CMC web site under Bibliographies.

e.       Education Index, 1929-.  Available in book format at Index Table  #3.  Also available electronically on FirstSearch from the Library home page.

f.        Hall, Susan.  Using Picture Storybooks to Teach Literary Devices.  Curric. Ref. 016.0883 H179u.  Identifies picture books to use in introducing literary devices, such as flashback, foreshadowing, imagery, irony, metaphor, etc.

g.       Internet web sites about children’s literature are available from the CMC web site at http://www.mnstate.edu/cmc/InternetLinks/ChildrenLiterature.htm

8.      Citation styles

a.       MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers.  Ref. LB2369 .G53 1999.

b.      Detailed guidelines for citing Internet resources is available from the CMC home page under Citing Resources.

 

Compiled by Carol H. Sibley, Curriculum Librarian, Minnesota State University Moorhead, Moorhead, Minnesota, 06/03.