Northern Kentucky University

Children's Literature Web Resources

These are suggestions only and do not reflect the full range of materials that may be useful to you. For additional assistance, Ask Steely Library!

General

Nancy Keane's Children's Literature Web Page

This is the place to be when you are looking for ready-to-use book talks, lists of recommended reading, book reviews by children or other information about children's literature.

Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Site

This is a collection of reviews of great books for kids, ideas of ways to use them in the classroom and collections of books and activities about particular subjects, curriculum areas, themes and professional topics.

Kay E. Vandergrift's Special Interest Page

This website is a means of sharing ideas and information with all those interested in literature for children and young adults. The “author” portion of the website is great for biographical information.

The Children's Literature Web Guide

This site attempts to gather together and categorize the growing number of Internet resources related to books for Children and Young Adults. Lots of good information here.

Book Awards

The International Board on Books for Young People

The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) is a non-profit organization which represents an international network of people from all over the world who are committed to bringing books and children together. They present the Hans Christian Andersen Medal every two years.

The Newbery Medal Home Page

The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.

The Caldecott Medal Home Page

The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.

The Coretta Scott King Book Awards

Given to African American authors and illustrator for outstanding inspirational and educational contributions, the Coretta Scott King Book Award titles promote understanding and appreciation of the culture of all peoples and their contribution to the realization of the American dream. The award is designed to commemorate the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and to honor Mrs. Coretta Scott King for her courage and determination to continue the work for peace and world brotherhood.

The Kentucky Bluegrass Award

The purpose of the Kentucky Bluegrass Award (KBA) is to encourage the students of Kentucky in grades K through 12 to read quality children's literature.

Engineered Books

The Pop-Up Lady

This web site is dedicated to those who collect and love the genre called pop-up and movable books.

University of North Texas

Pop-up and movable books from the collection of The University of North Texas Libraries.

Research and Study

Cotsen Children's Library: Virtual Children's Books Exhibits

Princeton University's virtual exhibit of past exhibits of children's book illustrations offers visuals and brief explanations geared towards children and adults. The easy-to-use website is divided into four virtual exhibits, that contain a portion of what the physical exhibits at the Cotsen Children's Library at Princeton University displayed. The four exhibits can be accessed by clicking on their links on the homepage. The "Water Babies" exhibit contains illustrations of swimming, and was meant as a respite for kids who couldn't escape the city's heat. Each illustration in the virtual exhibit is accompanied by a short synopsis of the book or publication it came from, and often a web link or reading suggestion for more information on the author, illustrator, or subject matter of the book. The "Magic Lantern" virtual exhibit contains illustrations of magic lanterns, a type of projector widely available for home use, that were the precursors to film and television, and which enthralled children and adults alike. The "Creepy-Crawlies" exhibit highlighted the many illustrations of insects in children's books and natural history. The insects in children's books were most often portrayed as evil or villainous. But, if visitors can put those feelings aside, they will find many beautifully rendered drawings. The physical "Beatrix Potter" exhibit coincided with the publication of the Beatrix Potter Collection of Lloyd Cotsen in 2004, and the virtual exhibit contains illustrations by Potter, and others, with whom the visitor can use for comparison, to see Potter's unique style. From the Scout Report. Copyright Internet Scout Project, 1994-2009.

Drawing Babar: Early Drafts and Watercolors

From stories told by his wife to their young son came the fanciful world of Babar the Elephant, and seven decades later they remain popular tales. After the death of Jean de Brunhoff, the mantle was taken up by his son Laurent de Brunhoff, who continued illustrating tales of Babar's many journeys and adventures. Recently, The Morgan Library & Museum decided to offer an exhibit of early drafts and watercolors of these works. Along with the in situ exhibit, they also created this website, which provides access to the first maquette created by Brunhoff as he set about creating the story of Babar. Visitors to the site can learn about the maquette, and use a set of tools to zoom in and out of the entire 37-page artwork. It's a delightful trip through the early life of Babar, and it is one to be shared with both young and old. From the Scout Report. Copyright Internet Scout Project, 1994-2009.

Oyate

This website provides reviews and listings of children’s books reflecting the culture of Native Peoples.

Looking Glass for the Mind: 350 Years of Books for Children

The University of Washington Digital Collection of children's books starts off with a wonderful piece that touches on the beloved memories children's books bring back for so many, but also on the reasons why a university library would collect children's books. Several of the reasons given regard what children's books can teach us: printing and book illustration history, the "study of the gradual changes in familiar tales to reflect changes in societal acceptance and sensibilities," social and ethnic history, the historical role of women, and shifting views on education. After the homepage is the index to the exhibit with an introduction, a brief history of the first children's book publishers. To the left is the "Index" of topics that the books cover. Visitors will find a multitude, including "Fables", "Grammar, Spelling, Elocution & Rhetoric", "Math & Money", "Activity Books", and "Prejudice & Bigotry". Under the topic "Fables", visitors should check out The Baby's Own Aesop, illustrated by Walter Crane, who began an illustrating apprenticeship at the age of fourteen. [KMG]

Texts and Illustrations of Children's Books Available on the Internet

Baldwin Library of Children's Literature, Digital Collection

The Baldwin Library Digital Collection at the University of Florida includes over 2500 fully digitized children's books, published in the United States and Great Britain between 1850 and 1900 (selected from more than more than 100,000 in the Baldwin Library of Historical Children's Literature, dating from the mid-1600s through 2007). Although baby-boomers may be disappointed in not finding their childhood favorites, it is nonetheless amazing to page through an illustrated edition of Little Red Riding Hood, published in 1895 by Raphael Tuck & Sons. Browsing through the list of recently added items also reveals the digital version of "Bill an' me": sum ov our adventers in de "Midway Plaisance", a souvenir book documenting two boys’ adventures at the World's Columbian Exposition, the World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893. Books in the collection reflect the mores of the times in which they were published; for example, although the protagonists seem on the youthful side to 21st century eyes, Bill an me's adventures include the drinking of alcoholic beverages. From the Scout Report. Copyright Internet Scout Project, 1994-2009.

Starfall

Primarily designed for first grade, Starfall is also useful for pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and second grade. For young children learning to read.

Storyline Online

Sponsored by the Screen Actors Guild Foundation, Storyline Online provides online streaming video programs featuring SAG members reading children's books aloud. Each book is accompanied with activities and lesson ideas.

Storybook Web

This website contains a captivating collection of activities for children aged 5-8 years. The site is based on popular children's stories by authors Scoular Anderson, Debi Gliori, Mairi Hedderwick and Frank Rodgers.

Children's Books Online: the Rosetta Project

Largest collection of illustrated antique books online. Offers stories in other languages.

International Children's Digital Library

The mission of the International Children’s Digital Library Foundation is to excite and inspire the world's children to become members of the global community – children who understand the value of tolerance and respect for diverse cultures, languages and ideas -- by making the best in children's literature available online.

Literature for Children

Literature for Children is a collection of the treasures of children's literature published largely in the United States and Great Britain from before 1850 to beyond 1950.