Re-envisioned and reformatted to better serve the needs of today's librarians, Best Books for Children describes approximately 30,000 of the best books, fiction and nonfiction, for children in preschool through grade 6 and organizing them by genre and subject, this guide enables librarians to help teachers and parents identify books suitable for children's recreational reading and educational needs. It is also an invaluable collection management tool that can be used for both selection and weeding (particularly in nonfiction areas). And finally, it makes creating theme-related book lists for library programs or curricular units a breeze.
Along with coverage of many new publications and updated bibliographic information, this new edition features an organization modified to reflect current publishing trends. The book now features separate Graphic Novels, Alphabet, Concept books, and Counting books sections (the latter three traditionally were included in Fiction for Younger Readers) and a new Traditional Literature section that covers Fairy Tales, Folklore, Mythology, Poetry, and Nursery Rhymes. In addition, Plays have been moved to Theater and Plays, under Performing Arts.
As in all of the Best Books titles, the authors have carefully culled the most trusted professional review sources to identify the most highly recommended new books for children. The volume provides review citations and makes note of available eBook and audiobook versions. Brief annotations, bibliographic data, grade level appropriateness, and review citations help you identify books of high quality, while the book's topical arrangement makes it easy to create theme- and genre-based reading lists and programs as well as to identify read-alikes for young readers.
About the Author: Catherine Barr is editor of the Libraries Unlimited Children's and Young Adult Literature Reference series and author or coauthor of several other Libraries Unlimited titles.
Jamie Campbell Naidoo is endowed assistant professor at the University of Alabama's School of Library and Information Studies in Tuscaloosa, AL.