A to ZOo: Subject Access to Children's Picture Books [Hardcover]

Carolyn W. Lima (Author), John A. Lima (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1998 | Series: A to Zoo

For years, librarians have relied on A to Zoo for easy to use, up to date and comprehensive information on fiction and non-fiction picture books. As a subject guide, this valuable resource allows librarians to help their patrons identify picture books, alphabetically catalogued under more than 1,000 subjects headings and sub-headings. The bibliographic guide provides full detailed information for each title, including subjects, and notations for Caldecott Award winners. This 6th edition features more than 3,000 new titles of the latest publications in the children's literature field.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The latest edition of this standard reference work has grown to 1800 pages listing nearly 23,000 titles. Once again, the material is divided into five sections: subject headings, subject guides, bibliographic guides, title indexes, and illustrator indexes. This arrangement enables the reader to locate books on a particular topic and to determine the subject of a specific book when only the author, illustrator, or title is known. The more than 1200 subject headings are augmented by subheadings and cross references, which is especially useful because this tool is as much for reader's advisory as it is for collection building. Full bibliographic information for each title included is provided in the bibliographic guide, although price and in-print status are not. This is not a problem, however, since reader's advisory use doesn't usually require pricing information, and there are now several electronic means of obtaining such information quickly and easily. As in previous editions, there is an excellent introductory essay titled "Genesis of the English-Language Picture Book," with as many suggested titles for further reading as might be found on a children's literature course syllabus. About the only drawback is the lack of annotations, but had these been added for each title included, the book would rival the Manhattan telephone directory in size. All in all, this remains an essential resource for just about any reference collection. Carolyn M. Mulac, Chicago P.L.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

The new edition of A to Zoo lists more than 18,000 titles (4,000 more than the fourth edition) under more than 1,000 subjects. The format replicates those of earlier versions, with the goal still to facilitate the task of finding a picture book ("a fiction or nonfiction title with illustration occupying as much or more space than the text and with text vocabulary or concepts suitable for preschool to grade two") that fits a particular subject. An updated history of the picture book with recent sources and suggestions for further reading is found in the introduction.

The book is divided into five sections. The subject heading section contains an alphabetical list of subjects, with numerous cross-references and subheadings. The subject guide, arranged alphabetically, lists the picture books by author and title within subject categories. Entries in the bibliographic guide are alphabetically arranged by author (or title, if the author is unknown) and include title, illustrator, publisher, publication date, subjects, and ISBN (when available). Out-of-print materials are included, as many libraries still house such materials in their collections. Following the bibliographic guide is the title index, which includes an alphabetical list of all titles in this book, including the author's name followed by the page number of the listing in the bibliographic section. An illustrator index also gives titles and authors, followed by the page numbers in the bibliographic guide.

Comparable resources are Picture Books to Enhance the Curriculum [RBB Ag 97] and Adventuring with Books [RBB Ap 15 94]. Both provide annotations; Adventuring with Books also includes interest levels. Annotations are an asset in choosing a particular book, and the lack of them in A to Zoo limits its usefulness as a selection tool. However, Picture Books to Enhance the Curriculum has only 1,500 titles, and Adventuring with Books has 1,800. A to Zoo is by far the most comprehensive subject guide to picture books, and libraries that use it regularly will want the latest edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1398 pages
• Publisher: Bowker-Greenwood Imprint; 5th edition (March 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0835239160
• ISBN-13: 978-0835239165
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.3 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,536,903 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A to Zoo, September 7, 2001

By 

Marie Boyum "kidbks" (WI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A To Zoo: Subject Access to Children's Picture Books, Sixth Edition (Hardcover)

Teachers, Children's Libarians, this is a must have book for your reference!
Whether you only know the author, title, illustrator, or subject this book will assist. There is even a bibliographic guide to detail the subject headings of a book. Easy to use, and the greatest tool for planning theme related book activites for children.
Well worth the investment as it is a never ending resource.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A to Zoo: Subject Access to Children's Picture Books, June 16, 2000

By 

Sharyn Richardson (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A to ZOo: Subject Access to Children's Picture Books (Hardcover)

The purpose of this book is to assist teachers, librarians, and parents to select the correct (picture)book for their ideal situation. This resource book would help anyone locate any book which fits their unique need quickly thus saving precious time. By arranging the publication into five parts the books are extremely easy to locate. A valuable resouce which may be used by teachers, librarians, or parents. Adorable illustions are used with each new letter of the alphabet. It is the only comprehensive guide of its kind on picture books. The book contains 18,000 titles catalogued under more that 1,000 subjects.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Resource, Wrong Title, March 11, 2010

By 

Kristin Hays (Colorado) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A to Zoo: Subject Access to Children's Picture Books: Supplement to the 7th Edition (Hardcover)

While this book is a great resource for helping students evaluate and analyze text, I did not get exactly what I was looking for because the title listed on Amazon does not match the book. The title on Amazon says A to Zoo: (Children's and Young Adult Literature Reference), 7th Edition, which is the book I wanted. However, the actual book available is the "Supplement to the 7th Edition". So, I had to go elsewhere to find the 7th edition.