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Bibliographies of Children’s Literature

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Online Resources

The sites in this list are selected online bibliographies of children’s literature on various subjects. To find out whether or not the books from these lists are in the S-Collection, look the items up in the Library Catalog.

  • Banned Books Online Books that have been the objects of censorship or have had censorship attempts are featured in this web site.
  • The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books by Decade A list of the challenges reported to or recorded by the Office for Intellectual Freedom, American Library Association.
  • Dreams of Space Check out this excellent website dedicated to the history of space travel in children’s literature. The site includes bibliographies of books dating as far back as 1883, information on authors and illustrators, and a history of space art.
  • Juvenile Series and Sequels This database, compiled by librarians at the Mid-Continent Public Library, provides information about over 28,000 books in 3,700 series for young readers. Series are leveled JE for birth through 2nd grade readers, J for 2nd through 6th grade readers, and YA for 6th through 12th grade readers. Each series page lists the volumes in the series and the order in which the books “should” be read. Series can be accessed by series title, book title, author name, and series subject (e.g., cats, boarding school, Animorphs, King Arthur).
  • Old Children’s Books This site contains booklists for children of all ages, plus book links and author links.

Print Resources

The books in this list are a representative sample of specialized bibliographies. Call numbers have been included for your convenience.

S.016.80883 An24s
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.

S.011.62 B271b 2015
Barr, Catherine and John T. Gillespie. Best Books for Children: Preschool through Grade Six. 10th ed. 2015.
Barstow has annotated and indexed over 2,000 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.

S.011.62 B28b 2008
Barstow, Barbara. Beyond Picture Books: Subject Access to Best Books for Beginning Readers. 3rd ed. 2008. 
Barstow has annotated and indexed over 2,000 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.

MFICHE 820.9 P91 guide
Bayfield, Juliana. Pre 1890 Australian children’s books microfiche package. Adelaide. 1994.
Contains the text of 297 books which are listed in Bibliography of Australian children’s books. There are two volumes.

S.016.8093876 F444e 2015
Fichtelberg, Susan. Encountering Enchantment: A Guide to Speculative Fiction for Teens.2nd ed. 2015.

S.016.028550973 F862r
Fraser, Elizabeth. Reality Rules II : A Guide to Teen Nonfiction Reading Interests. 2012.
2012 edition available online.

S.011.62 B27b2013
Gillespie, John T. and Catherine Barr. Best Books for Middle School and Junior High Readers: Grades 6-9. 3rd ed. 2013.

S.001.625 B27b2013
Gillespie, John T. and Catherine Barr. Best Books for High School Readers: Grades 9-12.3rd ed. 2013.

S.011.6242 G443
Girls Series Books: A Checklist of Titles Published 1840-1991. 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.

S.016.813 H412t2011
Herald, Diana Tixier. Teen Genreflecting 3: A Guide to Reading Interests. 3rd ed. 2011.

S.011.62 L628a2014
Lima, Carolyn W. and John A. Lima. A to Zoo: Subject Access to Children’s Picture Books.9th ed. 2014. 
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.

S.011.62 N213a 2002
National Council of Teachers of English. Committee on the Elementary School Booklist. Adventuring with Books: A Booklist for Pre-K – Grade 6. 13th ed. 2002. 
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.

S.011.62 Sch651r 2009
Schon, Isabel. Recommended Books in Spanish for Children and Young Adults, 2004-2008. 2009.
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.

S.016.51 W845 1998
Thiessen, Diane and Margaret Matthias. eds. The Wonderful World of Mathematics: A Critically Annotated List of Children’s Books in Mathematics. 1998.
From counting to measurement to geometry, this bibliography rates books based on their usefulness in teaching mathematical concepts to children. The books are indexed by author and title.

S.011.62 T366p 2009
Thomas, Rebecca and Catherine Barr. Popular Series Fiction for K-6: A Reading and Selection Guide. 2009.

S.016.823008 T36p 2009
Thomas, Rebecca and Catherine Barr. Popular Series Fiction for Middle School and Teen Readers: A Reading and Selection Guide. 2009.

S.016.813 W215v
Ward, Marilyn. Voices from the Margins: An Annotated Bibliography of Fiction on Disabilities and Differences For Young People. 2002.

Q. S.016.813 W55
What Do Children and Young Adults Read Next? 2002-. 2012 edition available as an e-book.
Designed to help children in grades 1-12 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 awards, time periods, age levels, and characters. Updated every few years.

S.809.3 Z188a
Zarian, Beth Bartleson. Around the World with Historical Fiction and Folktales: Highly Recommended and Award-winning Books, Grades K-8. 2004.