Customer Reviews

The Children's Literature Lover's Book of Lists

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This thick volume would make a perfect companion (or predecessor) to the Literature Lover's Book Of Lists : Serious Trivia for the Bibliophile in the same series (see my review). Though probably intended for teachers and librarians, it will be found equally useful by homeschoolers and other parent/guardian figures searching for enlightenment regarding the "best" books in the vast field of kidlit old and new. Divided into three broad groups (pre-K through Gr. 1, Grs. 2-3, and Grs. 4-6), it breaks its lists down into sensible categories like "classics," author and publisher series, sf and fantasy, books "to teach math/science/social studies," and so forth, then divides many of these lists in turn into brief sublists (2:13, "Multicultural Books," for instance, includes titles for "Across Cultures," "African-American," "Alternative Lifestyles," "Amish," "Appalachian," "Asian," "Hispanic," "Jewish," "Native American," and "Quaker"). Though annotations are given only for the series books, with a brief description of the series focus, the lists alone (which you can easily scan and print off to take to the library or bookstore with you) are a treasure trove for the parent bewildered by the huge variety of books available. Fiction and nonfiction are included, and many great perennials (like "Lassie Come-Home," "Black Beauty," "Tom Sawyer," "Peter Pan," etc.) have found their way into the book along with newer emergents. An index would have been useful, but even without one, this is a volume no parent should fail to consult.

Anyone who is seeking quality literature for children (preschoolers through grade 6) can use this comprehensive guide. This is a unique book, written for teachers, parents, librarians. It's filled with wide-ranging lists of titles organized by grade level, theme, and content areas, this resource simplifies your search by selecting the most useful information from websites, teacher resources, award listings, and publications that are available on children's literature. For quick access and easy use, the lists are printed in full-page format and organized into five sections.
My wife suggested this title as a gift basket idea for baby showers or registries. The book is something that parents will use for years. If you're a shopper or gift shop, stock up, too. You can't only not go wrong, it's a map to the loot.

This book is a must-have for parents, teachers, librarians and anyone interested in children's literature. The lists contained within this book cater more to the Pre-K through 6th grade set. There are five sections - section one [books for pre-k through 1st grade], section two [books for grades 2-3], section three [ books for grades 4-6], section four [children's book awards & recommended literature], & section five [children's lit websites & teacher resources]. This is a great tool to provide diverse literary opportunities for children.

I haven't used the entire book--not the section for later grades (too advanced for my growing boy). We have read many, many hundreds of children's books, and while I'm not as expert as a children's librarian or anything, I think I have a pretty good idea of what is out there.

For what it's worth, I didn't notice any important omissions. If there is any problem about this volume, it is that it makes too many recommendations and does not have enough helpful info about each one (just author names and book titles). There are a sentence or two about the books on the lists of "favorites," which are very useful--probably the best feature of the volume. But most of the lists are not "favorites" and there's nothing but the author name and book title. The lists of "Classics and All-Time Favorites" are useful too, but there aren't any comments about those--which is fine I guess, the point is that they can be recommended in any case. The judgment about what should be considered classics & all-time favorites seems pretty good to me.

I didn't notice any critical remarks about the books, or advice for parents (or teachers) with moral or other such concerns. For that, Amazon is a heck of a lot better than this book.

I'm not an expert, but it seems to be the sort of book list that I would expect an Ed.D. to produce--as far as I can tell, it follows the conventional wisdom and standards of education schools. This isn't meant to be a criticism, just helpful info for those who are wondering if this is going to be quirky: not really. It's a huge variety of resources, lots of attention to realistic fiction, multiculturalism, and children's book awards. The classics are here, but buried among an enormous number of other recommendations.

The best way to decide if you want to purchase this book is to use the 'Look Inside' feature to review the Table of Contents. It will tell you everything thing you need to know.

This book is a great investment because it can be used for several grades. Unfortunately the Caledott & Newberry Winners list stops at 2003 but you can find a updated list online. It also lists other book awards that I am not familiar with.

I am a homeschooling parent and consider this book a must buy!

My first mistake was not checking the date...I would've like a more recently published version better. Also, I just don't like the way it is set up. I expected "lists" to be easier to read through and make decisions from, but, it's actually a little confusing. Disappointed.

I bought this book for my daughter who is going to be an elementary teacher. It was recommened by her college professor.

This book is excellent for parents who have children in elementary school. It points out what books are available for kids of different ages and interests. It also has lists of books that have won awards. It definitely saves parents a few hours of research for what books their kids ought to read. It does all the work for them. I gave this book to my brother because he is busy at work and does not have time to go on the computer and search for books for his kids.