In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

  • Children's LiteratureA Resource for Collection Development
  • Charity Chang (bio)
Building a Children's Literature Collection. Middletown, Conn.: Choice, 1975. $3.95.

For academic libraries, either those only beginning to develop a children's literature collection or for those needing to further develop and strengthen already existent collections, Building a Children's Literature Collection is a valuable and welcome publication. Included in its thirty-four pages are two brief but excellent bibliographic essays, each followed by listings of materials appropriate for consideration by those attempting to build basic working research collections for academic libraries.

The first section done by Harriet B. Quimby and Clara O. Jackson, "Building a Children's Literature Collection: A Suggested Basic Reference Collection for Academic Libraries," includes informative and perceptive comments upon the role played by twentieth-century America "in the development and promotion of quality literature for children." The authors have noted that efforts [End Page 260] to develop and promote quality literature for children have resulted in the creation of awards designed to stimulate excellence in both writing and illustrating. Library schools, departments of English, and schools of education have developed courses which attract students and stimulate faculty awareness. Concurrently textbooks, bibliographic aids of various kinds, and literary criticism have appeared, all of which have resulted in emphasis on building more adequate collections to support academic programs dealing with literature for children.

Despite the growing emphasis on building better and more adequate collections, Miss Quimby and Miss Jackson correctly observe that many academic collections in children's literature have been built "in a hit or miss fashion in response to student and faculty demands." In their commendable effort to help overcome this situation, they have provided helpful discussions on texts, histories, authors and illustrators; readings on children's literature; awards and prizes; international children's literature; storytelling; anthologies; and general selection aids. They have also made useful comments concerning annual lists, professional reviewing journals, areas of special interest, and writing books for children and young people. Within the text of each subject discussed, the authors have called attention to and meaningfully illuminated 150 or more works, in print in 1974, which they feel are the best reference sources available in support of all facets of children's literature currently studied in major academic institutions.

Following their essay, authors Quimby and Jackson have provided a convenient alphabetical listing, by author, of all titles mentioned within the essay. Each listing includes full title, publisher, and date. The list will be particularly useful to those in academic libraries charged with the responsibility of selection or service whose knowledge of the children's literature field is limited. It will also be reassuring to those with expertise in children's literature and experience in the library selection and service processes, to say nothing of its value to students and faculty who may discover it in using a library's children's literature resources.

Complementing the "Suggested Basic Reference Collection for Academic Libraries" is the companion piece by Rosemary Weber entitled "Building a Children's Literature Collection: A Suggested Basic Collection of Children's Books." Miss Weber's listing of some 800 or more titles includes fiction, picture and easy books, [End Page 261] folk literature, biography, poetry, and nonfiction. Her suggested basic collection represents a synthesis of titles suggested in the text or listed in the bibliographies of the following works: A New Look at Children's Literature by William Anderson and Patrick Groff (1972); Children and Books, ed. by May Hill Arbuthnot and Zena Sutherland (4th ed., 1972); Picture Books for Children by Patricia Cianciolo (1973); Literature of Children: History and Trends by Margaret C. Gillespie (1970); Children's Books of International Interest, ed. by Virginia Haviland (1972); The Child's First Books by Donnarae MacCann and Olga Richard (1973); The Elementary School Library Collection, 7th ed., Phase 1 titles (Bro-Dart, 1972); the H. W. Wilson Children's Catalog (12th ed., 1971) and First Supplement (1972); and Children's Books: Awards and Prizes, 1973 edition (Children's Book Council).

Miss Weber points out in her essay that she found greatest difficulty in compiling the listing of general nonfiction works, but commendably she has attempted to include...

pdf

Share