Foreign Language Children's Books
Print Version [PDF]
Other Locations | Search Strategies | Directories | General Bibliographies | Language Specific Bibliographies | Journals | Web ResourcesFrench, Spanish, German, Catalan, Navajo...While the majority of the School Collection’s children’s books are written in English, many of the 113,000 children’s books currently in the cataloged collection are not. Unless you know the specific title of a book, these foreign language books can often be difficult to find. This guide offers several search strategies for finding foreign language titles at the University of Illinois and elsewhere. Since these materials are in many different libraries, the location is noted under each call number. Generally, the foreign language materials that the Education and Social Science library has in its collection are located in Education Storage, which is not accessible for patrons to browse.
Questions? Ask a librarian.
Other Locations
- The Asian Library (325 Main Library, 333-1501) has children's books written in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Hebrew, as well as some Indic, Vietnamese, and Thai languages.
- The Modern Languages and Linguistics Library (425 Main Library, 333-0076) has some foreign language bibliographies focusing on children’s literature.
- The Slavic and East European Library (225 Main Library, 333-1349)has a small collection of children’s books in some of the Central Asian languages (Uzbek, Kazakh, Tajik) and Slavic languages. Consult the staff in the Slavic Library for assistance.
If the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign does not have the type of book you are looking for, remember that another library might. Ask a reference assistant if you need help searching for materials from other libraries and ordering them through Interlibrary Loan.
The Champaign Public Library (200 W. Green St., 217-403-2000) and the Urbana Free Library (210 W. Green St, 217-367-4057) also collect foreign language children’s books. Both libraries shelve these books with their non-fiction books, under the appropriate Dewey Decimal classification (according to language). Feel free to contact them for assistance in locating materials in their collections.
Search Strategies
Subject Search
One way to find books written in a particular foreign language (Spanish, French, Japanese, etc.) is to do a subject search, by language, on the online catalog. This type of search will bring up some recent titles (post-1984), but not all. Unfortunately, subject headings are not consistently assigned to foreign language children’s books.
Also, because many of the foreign language books in the S-Collection were acquired prior to 1984 (and the arrival of the online catalog), many books are not assigned subject headings in the computer. Many of these older foreign language books can be found by doing shelf list or title searches, explained later in this guide.
This guide is limited to search strategies for youth fiction and non-fiction written in foreign languages, rather than dictionaries or books on how to speak/write/read a foreign language. Use any or all of the following subject headings when searching for fiction or non-fiction written in a foreign language:
- If you were looking for a book in Spanish, try Spanish language materials
- If you were looking for a bilingual book, Spanish and English, try Spanish language materials-bilingual
- If you were looking for a children's book in Spanish, try Spanish language materials-juvenile literature
- If you were looking for textbooks to assist children learning Spanish, try Spanish language-readers
If searching for a foreign language book on a specific subject, add the appropriate subject heading to the foreign language search string. For example, if looking for a Spanish language book on cats, use the following subject searches:
- Cats – Spanish language materials
- Cats – Spanish language materials – Juvenile fiction
- Cats – Spanish language materials -- Fiction
Call Number Search
Sometimes, when you do not have a specific title, the only way to find foreign language fiction (published prior to 1984) in the School Collection is to do a call number search in the online catalog.
First, determine the appropriate Dewey Decimal classification for the language you are looking for (see list below). In the online catalog, choose the option allowing you to search by call number. Type in the general call number you wish to search. (Remember to preface your call number with an "S.")
In the list below, there are the beginnings of call numbers assigned to some foreign language children’s books in the School Collection. These numbers could also be used to search the general library’s collection (including the Modern Languages library) by leaving the “S.” off of the number. Remember that a numeric search will not unearth recent foreign language fiction in the School Collection, as much of it has been classified as fiction under the author’s last name.
| S.830 | German |
| S.839.31 | Dutch |
| S.839.7 | Swedish |
| S.839.81 | Danish |
| S.839.82 | Norwegian |
| S.840 | French |
| S.849.9 | Catalan |
| S.850 | Italian |
| S.860 | Spanish |
| S.870 | Latin |
| S.889 | Modern Greek |
| S.891.7 | Russian |
| S.891.85 | Polish |
| S.896 | African languages |
| S.897 | North American native languages |
| S.899.92 | Basque |
Title Search
It is also possible to access foreign language children’s books by doing a title search in the online catalog. Several libraries at the University of Illinois have reference works that provide titles. Described below, these reference books, primarily bibliographies, arrange titles in various ways: by culture, country of publication, language, subject, award-winners, etc.
Directories
| S.028.8088 Sp312 1995 (S-Collection Reference) |
Jones, Dolores Blythe. Special Collections in Children's
Literature: An International Directory. 1995. Provides information on special collections of children's literature; 300 of which are located in the United States and 119 in forty other countries. A subject index lists collections with strengths in foreign language children's books, as well as those with strengths in specific foreign languages and language groups. |
| 026.4 D628 (Library & Information Science Library, Main Stacks) |
Manoogian, Sylva N. and Natalia B. Bezugloff. Directory of
Language Collections in North American Public Libraries. 1986. Identifies 1,767 collections in 66 modern world languages in the United States and Canada. The directory is arranged both alphabetically by language, and by state. The state listings give more detailed information about the libraries, including the size of their foreign language collection (Small, 100-499 volumes; Medium, 500-1,499; Large, 1,500+) and the availability of juvenile materials. |
General Bibliographies
| 026.11 A5121c (Main Stacks) |
American Library Association. Children's Books from Twelve
Countries. 1930. Short annotations of foreign language books from Czecho-Slovakia, Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Holland, Poland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, England, and America |
| 011.62 B4712 (Main Stacks) |
Bibliography of Children's Books Published in India. 1983. Extensive list of books published in India prior to 1982. Arranged by language and age level. Transliterates titles in twelve Indian languages: Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu. |
| S.027.62505 JO 14:2 Win 2001 (Education Storage, online) |
"Bilingual Books for Children: Prepared by the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 International Relations Committees." Journal of Youth Services in Libraries, 14(2): 32-37. This list is a bibliography of books currently available with bilingual text, published between 1995 and 1999 or currently in print. Books chosen for this list met the following criteria: (1) the books should be suitable for children up to age fourteen, (2) represent a complete translation, and (3) contain high literary quality in each language. |
| Q.011.62 D923g (Library & Information Science Library) |
Dunwell, Anna. Guide to the 400 Best Children's Multicultural Books. 1993. Arranged by cultural group. Titles include short annotations, publication information, age/grade level, subject designation, awards won. Glossary, resource list. Subject index lists 18 "Bilingual Books" (Korean, Spanish, Khmer, Vietnamese) and 23 "Books in Languages Other Than English" (all Spanish). |
| S.011.62 V567 (Education Storage) |
Hayden, Carla D. Venture Into Cultures: A Resource Book of
Multicultural Materials and Programs. 1982. Contains culture-specific programming ideas and bibliographies. While most books are English-language titles, this resource also includes books in Japanese, Korean, Spanish, and Persian. Title index by culture. |
| S.016.8108 H366t (S-Collection Reference) |
Helbig, Alethea K. and Agnes Regan Perkins. Many Peoples, One Land: a Guide to New Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults. 2001. Successor to This Land is Our Land |
| 011.62 In8h 1986 (Education Storage) |
International Board on Books for Young People. IBBY Honour List. 1986. Annotates examples of outstanding children’s books from IBBY member countries, many of which are written in languages other than English. Arranged by excellency in text, illustration, and translation. |
| S.011.62 M615o (S-Collection Reference) |
Miller-Lachmann, Lyn. Our Family, Our Friends, Our World:
An Annotated Guide to Significant Multicultural Books for Children and Teenagers.
1992. Provides substantial annotations of some bilingual materials in French, Spanish, Japanese, Kiswahili, Russian, etc. Access titles through Subject Index, e.g., "French language—Bilingual materials."
|
| S.011.62079 C437 (Center for Children's Books) |
Children's Prize Books: An International Listing of
193 Children's Literature Prizes = Preisgekrönte Kinderbücher: ein internationales Verzeichnis von 193 Kinderbüchpreisen. 1983. Revised and enlarged edition of the previous title. |
| 372.405 RE (Main Stacks, Online) |
Schon, Isabella. (2001) “Los Ninos y el Mundo: Children’s Books in Spanish From Around the World.” The Reading Teacher, 54(7), 692-698. The author provides an annotated list of books in Spanish about other cultures, such as Australia, Guatamala, and Japan, and offers ideas for their use in the classroom. |
Language Specific Bibliographies
The following titles are written in English, with the exception of a few bibliographies of Spanish language materials. The University of Illinois Library also holds many bibliographies written in other foreign languages, which can be found by doing a subject search in the online catalog (e.g., "Children’s literature, Russian—Bibliography"). For older titles, you may also try a title keyword search on the online catalog (e.g. use the Russian or French words for "children’s literature" and "bibliography" in a title search).
Chinese
| S.895.109 Sco83c (Education Storage) |
Scott, Dorothea Hayward. Chinese Popular Literature and
the Child. 1980. Discusses the historical tradition from which twentieth-century Chinese children's literature arose, naming important titles and authors (in transliterated Chinese) in the text. Majority of titles published before 1970. Includes bibliography and index. |
French
| S.011.62 C16 (Education Storage) |
Gagnon, Andre and Ann Gagnon. Canadian Books for Young
People = Livres canadiens pour la jeunesse. 1988. Selective, annotated bibliography of both English and French language titles published in Canada. Arranged by broad subject categories. Also includes reference books, publishers' series, award books and professional media. Author and title indexes. |
German
| 830.9 F896D:E (Main Stacks) |
Freund, Winfried. Deutsche Kinder- und Jugendliteratur der Gegenwart = German Literature for Children and Young
People Today. 1987. Essays on contemporary German literature for youth. Contains bibliography of books discussed in text; titles have publication dates in the 1960s through 1980s. |
Hebrew
| Q.028.5492 W921 (Main Stacks) |
The World Club for Hebrew Libraries. Reshimat Sefarim Le-Sifriyot Ivriyot = List of Books for Standard Hebrew Libraries. Jerusalem, 1957. Written in English and Hebrew. Although this source lists primarily non-juvenile titles written in Hebrew, pages 40-44 offer bibliographic citations of over 250 Hebrew children's books. |
Japanese
| S.011.62 J27 1987 (Education Remote Storage) |
Japanese Board on Books for Young People. Japanese
Children's Books of International Interest. 1987. Annotated bibliography of 126 Japanese children's books, arranged by type (picture books, longer fiction, non-fiction, etc.) Also includes list of awards, index of prize winning books, index of Japanese titles (transliterated), index of English titles, index of authors/illustrators. |
| 016.8956 L616j (Library & Information Science Library) |
Shima, Tayo. Japanese Children's Books at the Library of
Congress: A Bibliography of Books from the Postwar Years, 1946-1985. 1987. Annotated bibliography of 304 Japanese children's books and periodicals held by the Library of Congress. Most were published between 1946-1985, although reprints of earlier works are also included. Arranged chronologically, each entry includes the title in Japanese characters, transliterated Japanese, and English translation. Award winners and intended age of audience are noted. Author, artist and transliterated Japanese title indexes. |
Spanish
| 011.62 D152b (S-Collection Reference) |
Dale, Doris Cruger. Bilingual Children’s Books in English and Spanish: An Annotated Bibliography, 1942-2001. 2003. Annotates bilingual Spanish-English children’s books, arranged alphabetically by the author’s last name and then by book title. Each annotation also lists review sources for the title when available. Includes an introduction in both English and Spanish about the history of bilingual Spanish/English publications. Indexed by Co-author, Illustrator, Translator, Title, Series, Award, Subject (English) and Subject (Spanish). |
| S.016.62 M325m (Education Storage) |
Marantz, Sylvia and Kenneth Marantz. Multicultural Picture
Books: Art for Understanding Others. 1994. "Section 6: The Caribbean and Latin America" provides annotations of approximately ten bilingual Spanish/English picture book titles. |
| 011.62097295 P653 (Main Stacks) |
Piñeiro de Rivera, Flor. Un siglo de literatura infantil
puertorriquena = A Century of Puerto Rican Children's Literature. 1987. Written in Spanish and English. This history of Puerto Rican children's literature (1876-1978) also includes a "catalog" of Spanish language books, arranged both by author and by title. |
| S.011.62 Sch65r 2004 (S-Collection Reference) |
Schon, Isabel. Recommended Books in Spanish for Children and Young Adults, 2000-2004. A listing of high quality books in Spanish for children from preschool through twelfth grade. Books are arranged by subject and then alphabetically by author’s last name. Titles have been translated into English and an extensive English annotation (including recommended grade level) is included. Includes Author, Title, and Subject indexes. |
| 025.2 W119I (Library & Information Science Library) |
Wadham, Tim. Libros Esenciales: Building, Marketing, and Programming a Core Collection of Spanish Language Children’s Materials. 2007. Chapter 3 of this book recommends books to form a core collection of Spanish language and Spanish/English bilingual materials; the list is arranged by format and age level and includes brief citations. Chapter 9 lists other notable Spanish language books for children and Chapter 10 lists Major Hispanic Book Award winners (not all titles are in Spanish). The text also includes a wealth of ideas for using and selecting Spanish language children’s materials. General Index, Author Index, and Title Index are included. |
World Wide Web
Barahona Center for the Study of Books in Spanish for Children and Adolescents
Written in English and Spanish. An extensive database of contemporary Spanish language children's books. The site is searchable by author, title, subject, publisher and country of publication, copyright date, translator, age level, etc. Provides links to related foreign language sites.
Children's Books Online: Books in Multiple Languages
The Rosetta Project, sponsored by Children's Books Online, offers over 700 translations of children's books in thirty-two different languages. The collection consists of a digital collection of illustrated antique children's books that were published in the 19th and early 20th century. Translations are provided in text format rather than being digital versions of books originally published in another language. (Note: all the images on the S-Collection pages are taken from books in the Rosetta Project's collection.)
Journals
Often, bibliographies of foreign language or bilingual children's books can be found in journals. Search the ERIC or Library Literature databases to find specific articles or bibliographies. Combine subject descriptors such as "children's literature" and "bibliography," and "bilingual" or "foreign language." Or, browse the journals listed below.
| 026.105 BOB (Education Periodicals) |
Bookbird Quarterly journal issued by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY). Contains articles on children's books published in countries around the world. Each issue includes a review column, "International Children's Books of Note." |
| 028.05 AM (Library & Information Science Library) |
Booklist Monthly reviewing journal that includes a regular column on recently published Spanish language books for children. Occasionally includes annotations of books in other foreign languages, although they tend to be adult titles, rather than children's. |
| S.028.505 HO (S-Collection Periodicals) |
Horn Book Magazine Bi-monthly journal containing articles and book reviews. Many issues include a review column called "Noteworthy Children's Books in Spanish." |
| S.016.80989282 H783 (S-Collection Referece) |
The Horn Book Guide to Children's Young Adult Books. Bi-annual journal providing brief reviews of children's books. Arranged by broad subject category. Each issue includes selected foreign language books published in the United States, primarily spanish language books. |
| 026.05 JU (Library & Information Science Library) |
School Library Journal Monthly journal containing articles and book reviews. Reviews of Spanish language children's books appear every other issue. |
