Bibliographies and Guides

• Abraham Lincoln
• Aesop's Fables
• Alphabet Books
• Brown vs. Board of Ed.
• Challenged Books
• Classics of Children's Lit
• Comprehensive Authors
• Counting Books
• Dr. Seuss Books
• Early English Children's Books

• Fantasy Books
• Foreign Language Books
• Guide to the School (S-) Collection
• Native American Children's Lit
• Pop-Up Books
• Predictable Story Books
• Research Guide
• S-Collection Periodicals Guide
• Wordless Picture Books

Adamson, Lynda G. Recreating the Past: A Guide to American and World Historical Fiction for Children and Young Adults. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1994.

The author has selected 970 works of historical fiction for children that are both historically accurate and well written. More than a bibliography, this guide offers some analysis of style and themes along with evaluative comments. Entries are arranged by historical time period. A thorough index and several appendices provide access to the titles by people groups, countries, and grade level.

The Afro-American in Books for Children. 4th revision. Washington, D.C.: District of Columbia Public Library Children's Service,1992.

This is an extensive list of fiction and nonfiction about Afro-Americans, Africans, and people of the West Indies. Entries are arranged alphabetically within the following categories: picture books and easy reader, fiction, and folklore. Entries include short descriptions and in some cases further reading lists for an author. Author and title indexes are included.

Anderson, Vicki. Native Americans in Fiction: A Guide to 765 Books for Librarians and Teachers, K-9. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., 1994.

The fiction books included in this bibliography cover the social life and customs of many Native American tribes. The annotated citations are arranged by tribe and geographic region. In addition to author, title, and subject indexes, an appendix provide additional access points to finding information about tribes, subtribes, and areas.

Anderson, Vicki. Sequels in Children's Literature: an Annotated Bibliography of Books in Succession or with Shared Themes and Characters K-6. 1998.

The books selected in this index have a common thread reappearing in each book. The list contains about 7500 titles arranged alphabetically by author. Brief bibliographic information is given.

Barstow, Barbara, and Judith Riggle. Beyond Picture Books: A Guide to First Readers. 2nd ed. New Providence, New Jersey: R. R. Bowker, 1995.

Barstow and Riggle have annotated and indexed 2,495 first readers for young children. The titles are arranged alphabetically by author and can be accessed by subject, title, illustrator, readabiltiy level, and series. The introductory chapter contains a list of the most outstanding first readers.

Bauermeister, Erica and Holly Smith. Let's Hear It for the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2 - 14. New York: Penguin Books, 1997.

The books in this bibliography feature female protagonists of all races, ages, classes, and colors. The books are arranged alphabetically by title under four different age or reading levels. The authors have indexed the entries by title, author, date of the setting, genre, region and country and subject.

Coffey, Rosemary K. and Elizabeth F. Howard. American as Story: Historical Fiction for Middle and Secondary Schools. 2nd ed. Chicago: American Library Association, 1997.

Make history come alive with one of the 200 titles in this bibliography. The citations are organized by historical time period from colonial America to the present day. Each citation includes a summary, comments, and ideas for reports or activities. A title-author index is appended.

Colborn, Candy. What Do Children Read Next: A Readers Guide to Fiction for Children. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1994.

This tool is designed to help children in grades 1-6 find good books to read. Each entry contains bibliographic information, main characters, brief plot summaries, citations for reviews, and suggestions for further reading. In addition to the traditional author, title, and subject indexes, this book includes indexes for awards, time periods, age levels, and characters. For young adult reading, see the entry for Pam Spencer's What Do Young Adults Read Next.

Day, F.A. Lesbian and Gay Voices: an Annotated Bibliography and Guide to Literature for Children and Young Adults. 2000.

This bibliography contains more than 275 titles of books that feature major and minor lesbian and gay characters and which are appropriate for young readers. Recommended age levels are indicated along with notes, a summary and any awards that have been won for each book listed. There is also a chapter written for librarians, educators and parents to aid in supporting lesbian and gay youth. Title, author, and topic indexes are included.

Dole, Patricia Pearl. Children's Books about Religion. 1999.

Within the 17 chapters of this book, the author discusses religious books published after 1990. Older books are mentioned briefly at the end of each section. Includes author, subject, and title indexes.

Donavin, Denise P. ed. American Library Association Best of the Best for Children. New York: Random House, 1992.

This guide lists recommended books, magazines, videos, audio recordings, music, recorded stories, computer games, toys, and travel books for children from infancy to adolescence. The citations to the various media are arranged by age group and publisher/ distributor addresses are included. There is a combined author, title, publisher index.

Dreyer, Sharon Spredemann. The Bookfinder: A Guide to the Literature about the Needs and Problems of Youth Aged 2-18. Circle Pines, Minnesota: American Guidance Service, Inc. Volume 1, 1977. Volume 2, 1981 Volume 3, 1985 Volume 4, Volume 5, 1994.

Each volume in this guide for bibliotherapy contains more than 700 annotated entries on a variety of psychological, behavioral and developmental topics. Author, title, and subject indexes are included to provide access to the books.

Friedberg, Joan Brest, June B. Mullins, and Adelaide Weir Sukiennik. Portraying Persons with Disabilities: An Annotated Bibliography of Nonfiction for Children and Teenagers. 2nd ed. New Providence, NJ: R. R. Bowker, 1992.

Friedberg's annotated guide provides access to works of nonfiction which portray children and young adults with disabilities. The topics covered include AIDS, cancer, hearing and visual impairments, emotional disturbances, wheelchairs, and mental retardation. All of the books can be accessed through title, author and subject indexes. For a similar bibliography of fiction books, see the entry for Debra Robertson's Portraying Persons with Disabilities: Fiction.

Gath, Tracy and Maria Sosa. eds. Science Books & Films' Best Books for Children 1992-1995. Washington, D.C.: American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1996.

The title of this bibliography is more limited than its actual scope. The citations cover 16 general subject areas including agriculture, astronomy, math, the social sciences, biography, history and geography. Grade/ interest level information is included in the lengthy annotations. The books are indexed by reviewer, title, and author.

Gillespie, John T. and Corinne J. Naden. Best Books for Children: Preschool through Grade Six. 5th ed. New Providence, New Jersey: R. R. Bowker, 1994.

Gillespie, John T. Best Books for Junior High Readers. New Providence, New Jersey: R. R. Bowker, 1991.

Gillespie, John T. Best Books for Senior High Readers. New Providence, New Jersey: R. R. Bowker, 1991.

Gillespie, John T. Best Books for Young Adult Readers: Grades 7-12. New Providence, New Jersey: R. R. Bowker, 1997.

All four of Gillespie's books are excellent starting points for finding fiction and nonfiction titles on specific subjects. The entries are arranged by subject and indexed by author, illustrator, title, and subject/grade level.

Girls Series Books: A Checklist of Titles Published 1840-1991. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Children's Literature Research Collections, University of Minnesota Libraries, 1992.

The books in this bibliography of girls' series books are organized by series name. The citations are indexed chronologically, as well as by author and publisher.

Helbig, Aletha K., and Agnes Regan Perkins. This Land is Our Land: A Guide to Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1994.

African American, Asian American, Hispanic, and Native American characters are prominently featured in this annotated bibliography of fiction, oral tradition and poetry titles published between 1985-1993. The entries are arranged alphabetically within each ethnic group. Indexes include title, writers, illustrators, subject, and grade level.

Khorana, Meena. Africa in Literature for Children and Young Adults: An Annotated Bibliography of English-Language Books. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1994.

As part of the "Bibliographies and Indexes in World Literature Series," this guide contains books set in Africa that were written by both African and Western authors from 1873 to 1994. Colonial, postcolonial Western, and postcolonial Africa literatures are represented. The entries are arranged by geographic location and further divided by literary genre. Khorana includes a list of distributors in addition to the author, title, illustrator, and subject indexes.

Lima, Carolyn W. and John A. Lima. A to Zoo: Subject Access to Children's Picture Books. 5th ed. New Providence, New Jersey: R. R. Bowker, 1998.

Start with this book for subject access to children's picture books. A to Zoo provides more than 14,000 citations under 800 subject headings. The entries are organized by subject and indexed by author and illustrator.

Matulka, Denise. Picture This: Picture Books for Young Adults: a Curriculum-Related Annotated Bibliography. 1997.

This book is divided into 6 subject areas, containing annotated lists of picture books for young adults. The author also discusses the topic of exploring picture books with adolescents. Included are professional resources and title, author, illustrator and subject lists.

McBride, William G. High Interest Easy Reading: A Booklist for Junior and Senior High School Students, 6th ed. Urbana, Illinois: National Council of Teachers of English, 1990.

Help reluctant readers by using this bibliography of titles for students in grades 7-12. The entries are arranged by broad subject or literary form. A directory of publishers supplements the author, title, and subject indexes.

McCaffrery, Laura Hibbets. Building an ESL Collection for Young Adults: a Bibliography of Recommended Fiction and Non-Fiction for Schools and Public Libraries. 1998.

The books included in this bibliography are appropriate for the ESL reader. These books are broken up into subject categories, such as adventure, biographies, career, folktales, ethnic diversity, history, science and sports. Included are author, subject, title, and ethnic group indexes.

McElmeel, Sharron L. Great New Nonfiction Reads. Englewood, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited, 1995.

The informational books in this bibliography also make great read-alouds to share with others. Each category listed in the table of contents contains a review of one book and a list of connections to make with other similar titles. The book is indexed by author, title, illustrator and subject.

Miller-Lachmann, Lyn. Our Family, Our Friends, Our World: An Annotated Guide to Significant Multicultural Books for Children and Teenagers. New Providence, New Jersey: R.R. Bowker, 1992.

This bibliography provides thorough annotations of books representing minority culture in the United States and other cultures from around the world. Entries are organized first by ethnic group or geographic area and then by grade level. Author, subject, and title/series indexes are included.

National Council of Teachers of English. Committee on the Elementary School Booklist. Adventuring with Books: A Booklist for Pre-K - Grade 6. 10th ed. Urbana, Illinois: National Council of Teachers of English, 1993.

Short summaries of 1,800 books are listed in this bibliography. Books were chosen for their literary and artistic quality. The citations are arranged by topic and a few black and white photographs of book jackets are included.

Rand, Donna, et. al. Black Books Galore!: Guide to Great African-American Children's Books. 1998.

This is a bibliography of books portraying positive messages about the African-American race. Information about book awards, such as the Coretta Scott King Award, appear near the end of the book. Included are title, author, illustrator, and topic indexes.

Rasinski, Timothy V. and Cindy S. Gillespie. Sensitive Issues: An Annotated Guide to Children's Literature K - 6. Oryx Press, 1992.

Divorce, substance abuse, death and prejudice are a few of the topics included in this annotated bibliography. Each entry includes summaries and suggested activities for use at home or in the classroom. An introductory section explores the use of children's books to deal with sensitive information. The authors have also included a directory of publishers and an index.

Roberts, Patricia L., Nancy L. Cecil, and Sharon Alexander. Gender Positive! A Teachers' and Librarians' Guide to Nonstereotyped Children's Literature, K - 8. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., 1993.

The authors have identified more than 200 books for children that feature nonstereotyped characters and activities. The book is organized by in two sections, one for grades K - 3, and the other for grades 4 - 8. Each section contains examples of realistic fiction, folk literature, fanciful fiction, historical fiction, and biographies. The authors have suggested target activities to help students think about each of the stories and have include more ideas for extended activities at the end of the book.

Robertson, Debra. Portraying Persons with Disabilities: An Annotated Bibliography of Fiction for Children and Teenagers. 3rd ed. New Providence, New Jersey: R. R. Bowker, 1992.

Robertson's annotated guide provides access to works of fiction which portray children and young adults with disabilities. The topics covered include AIDS, cancer, hearing and visual impairments, emotional disturbances, wheelchairs, and mental retardation. All of the books can be accessed through title, author and subject indexes. For a similar bibliography of nonfiction works, see the entry for Joan Brest Friedberg's Portraying Persons with Disabilities: Nonfiction.

Rudman, Masha Kabako, Kathleen Dunne Gagne and Joane E. Bernstein. Books to Help Children Cope with Separation and Loss: An Annotated Bibliography. 4th ed. New Providence, New Jersey: R. R. Bowker, 1993.

Both fiction and nonfiction books are included in this bibliography to help children and young adults cope with separation and loss. The introductory chapters give information on separation/ loss and bibliotherapy. The authors have included a selected reading list for adults, a directory of helpful organizations, and author, title, subject and interest level indexes.

Schon, Isabel. Recommended Books in Spanish for Children and Young Adults, 1991-1995. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1997.

Although the books are in Spanish, all of the citations are written in English. Schon has compiled a bibliography of Spanish reference books, nonfiction, series books, and fiction titles for children. Each annotated citation includes a brief summary and recommended grade levels. An appendix of book dealers who carry Spanish materials for children and youth has been included along with author, title, and subject indexes.

Sinclair, Patti K. E for Environment: An Annotated Bibliography of Children's Books with Environmental Themes. New Providence, New Jersey: R. R. Bowker, 1992.

This book covers fiction and nonfiction titles relating to the environment for children ages preschool through 14. The annotations include content summaries, critical comments, and indication of interest level. The authors have appended a list of "environmental classics," further readings for adults and older students, and author and title indexes.

Spencer, Pam. What Do Young Adults Read Next: A Readers Guide to Fiction for Young Adults. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1994.

This tool is designed to help children in grades 6-12 find good books to read. Each entry contains bibliographic information, main characters, brief plot summaries, citations for reviews, and suggestions for further reading. In addition to the traditional author, title, and subject indexes, this book includes indexes for series, awards, time periods, age level and characters. For children's books, see the entry for Pam Spencer's What Do Children Read Next.

Stover, Lois T. and Stephanie F. Zenkes. eds. Books for You: An Annotated Booklist for Senior High. 13th ed. Urbana, Illinois: National Council of Teachers of English, 1997.

This thorough bibliography provides annotations for hundreds of fiction and non-fiction titles for high school students that were published between 1994 and 1996. The topics that are covered include college, education and careers, dating and sexual awareness, and science fiction, among others. In the annotations, the reviewers have noted major awards or starred reviews that the titles have received. Appendices list award-winning books, multicultural books, and world literature titles. Author, title, and subject indexes are also included.

Thiessen, Diane and Margaret Matthias. eds. The Wonderful World of Mathematics: A Critically Annotated List of Children's Books in Mathematics. Reston, Virginia: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 1992.

From counting to measurement to geometry, this bibliography rates books are their usefulness in teaching mathematical concepts to children. The books are indexed by author and title.

Thomas, James L. Play Learn & Grow: An Annotated Guide to the Best Materials for Very Young Children. New Providence, New Jersey: R. R. Bowker, 1992.

This bibliography begins with the premise that the adult's role in emergent literacy is crucial. Thomas provides helpful aids such as a chart of developmentally appropriate responses to books in his introductory chapters. The annotated entries include pointers to review sources along with brief summaries. The citations are thoroughly indexed by name, subject, age, and format. Thomas has also created an index called priority purchase to help teachers, librarians, and parents buy the best books first.

VanMeter, Vandelia. American History for Children and Young Adults: An Annotated Bibliographic Index. Englewood, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited, Inc., 1990.

Guide to non-fiction and fiction trade books relating to US history for students in grades K-12. Entries are arranged by time period and by subject, and provide cost and grade level information. Author, title, subject, series, and grade level indexes are included.

VanMeter, Vandelia. World History for Children and Young Adults: An Annotated Bibliographic Index. Englewood, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited, Inc., 1992.

VanMeter's guides to nonfiction and fiction trade books cover American and World History for students in grades K-12. The entries are arranged by geographic region and time period. Author, title, subject, series, and grade level indexes are included.

Volz, Bridget Dealy. Junior Genreflecting: a Guide to Good Reads and Series Fiction for Children. 2000.

This book is divided into 7 chapters the first of which discusses topics dealing with "reading for life." The other chapters cover subject areas such as adventure, animals, contemporary life, fantasy, historical fiction, and mysteries. The author gives a short annotation to each book, and at the end of each section, adds a list of her all-time favorites. Author, title, and subject indexes are included.