Library Guides: Children's and Young Adult Literature Resource Guide: Overview

Purpose

This guide will provide access to resources from the MSU Library as well as other important links to outside resources for those interested in Children's and Young Adult Literature.

Children's & YA Literature Databases
Browse our best resources, organized by subject.

Research Best Bets

Academic Search Complete
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Large, broad collection of multidisciplinary academic journals, magazines, and news; great starting point for many topics
Children's Core Collection
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Suggestions for collection development, readers’ advisory, and curriculum support for elementary students
Children's Literature Review
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Find critical essays and reviews on authors of children's literature
JSTOR
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Access to older multidisciplinary full-text journal articles and eBooks
Literature Resource Center
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Access entries from the DLB and find additional information on authors and their works

Websites of Interest

American Indians in Children's Literature
Blog by Debbie Reese.
Canadian Children's Book Centre
Dedicated to encouraging, promoting and supporting the reading, writing, illustrating and publishing of Canadian books for young readers.
Children's Literature Association
Children's Literature Center at the Library of Congress
Classic Children's Books
Turn the pages to explore bygone eras, time-honored tales and historical narratives. Adventure awaits in these classic books online. A new resource offered by the Library of Congress.
Database of Award-Winning Children's Literature
This database is designed to "create a tailored reading list of quality children's literature or to find out if a book has won one of the indexed awards."
International Children's Digital Library
The ICDL's mission is to provide a "collection of books that represents outstanding historical and contemporary books from throughout the world." Use this site to find books from other countries and in other languages.
Teaching for Change
Teaching Tolerance
Includes reviews of tolerance-related books and other resources.

Author Information Websites

Authors & Illustrators
from Great Web Sites for Kids at the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC).
Kids -- Reading Zone -- Books and Authors (from Internet Public Library)
Native American Authors (from Internet Public Library)
Reading Rockets video interviews
5-10 minute video interviews with over forty well-known children's book authors. Reading Rockets is an educational initiative of WETA and is funded by a major grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs.

Multicultural Websites

ALSC's Resource Page for Diversity
Access a copy of the Association for Library Service to Children's (ALSC) "The Importance of Diversity in Library Programs and Material Collections for Children" white paper. This paper explores the critical role libraries play in helping children make cross-cultural connections and develop skills necessary to function in a culturally pluralistic society.
American Indians in Children's Literature
Blog by Debbie Reese.
American Indians in Children's Literature Recommended Children's/YA/Reference/Resource Books
International Children's Digital Library
The ICDL's mission is to provide a "collection of books that represents outstanding historical and contemporary books from throughout the world." Use this site to find books from other countries and in other languages.
Native American Authors (from Internet Public Library)
Oyate
Reviews and more about Native American books.
Teaching for Change
We Need Diverse Books

Determining Reading Levels

Lexile Analyzer
Access to the Lexile Analyzer is free for registered users.
Fry Readability Formula