Links of the Month Archive

A Year of Reading (November 2007)
Two classroom teachers offer perspectives on new children's books and reflections on books from the past in this thoughtful reflection on literature and teaching.

Academy of American Poets
Offers a wealth of poetry resources, including specialized information for librarians and teachers.

ACHUKA
This outstanding British on-line journal edited by Michael Thorn is chock-full of information about children's and young adult literature. Its emphasis is the U.K., but it takes a global approach to youth literature as a whole. In addition to book news and book reviews, you'll find a wealth of biographical information about authors and illustrators here. Thorn's monthly interviews with guest authors and illustrators are lively, informative, and not to be missed! more. A chatroom and blog provide added interest.

ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom Blog (September 2007)
Get up-to-date news and commentary on the work of the American Library Association (ALA) Office of Intellectual Freedom (OIF) from the ALA/OIF's official blog, which has its pulse on activity at the national level as well as in indivdual states and communities.

American Indian Youth Literature Award (September 2006)
For the best writing and illustrations by and about American Indians. (American Indian Library Association) (September, 2006: This award does not yet have it's own web site. This links to the AILA site, which features information and criteria for this newly established award. Read the press release about the first winners, announced September 5.)

American Indians in Children's Literature Blog (September 2006)
Debbie Reese (Nambe Pueblo) provides a critical thoughts on children's and young adult literature by and about American Indians through this blog, which is an outstanding resource for librarians, teachers, and others to expand their own critical thinking, analaysis, and evaluation skills.

AS IF! Authors Supporting Intellectual Freedom (April 2006)
AS IF! "champions those who stand against censorship, especially of books for and about teens." Members include many contemporary young adult authors. They sharing their thoughts and news about intellectual freedom and censorship attempts.

Banned Books Week
is an annual event sponsored by the American Library Association to promote the importance of the freedom to read for all. The Banned Books Week website provides information on Bannded Books Week 2005 information and activities, as well as resources and information on censorship and intellectual freedom.

Beginning with Books Center for Early Literacy
works to educate parents, caregivers and others on the importance of reading to babies and young children, with the goal of nurturing children so that they become "capable, lifelong enthusiastic readers." Their programs serve children in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, area. Their web site includes resources that can be useful for any who are working with parents and care providers, including their annual "Best Books for Babies" list.

CCBC Directory of Wisconsin Children's Book Creators
The CCBC's online directory of authors and illustrators living in Wisconsin and willing to make appearances at libraries and schools features more than 60 individuals, with information about their books and programs.

Center for Children's Literature and Culture (CCLC) (November 2006)
An interdisciplinary center at the University of Florida, CCLC members include faculty, researchers, teachers, librarians, media specialists, artists, writers and others whose work or interests connect to materials for childen in print and other media. One of CCLC's primary resources is the University of Florida's Baldwin Collection of Historical Children's Literature. Among CCLC's unique offerings is Recess!, a daily radio program of reviews, historical and biographical notes, commentaries, interviews, and sound essays that explores the world of children's culture, past and present.

Children's Literature
Originally a print newsletter, Children's Literature is now an online resource that features information about authors and illustrators (including a fairly comprehensive listing with links to their web sites), teaching resources and themed reviews. The site also is the home of the Children's Literature Comprehensive Database (CLCD), a fee-based service that provides access to full-text reviews from a number of prominent journals, award and best-of-the-year list information, reading levels and more for thousands of titles. (A free trial for CLCD is available.)

Children's Literature Navigator (July 2007)
This compilation of children's literature resources on the web has been created and maintained by Denise Matulka. It currently has over 1,000 links to information on children's books, various genres of literature, authors and illustrators, literacy, and much more.

Children's Literature Network
Established in 2002, this organization has a focus in the upper Midwest (Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Upper Michigan, and Wisconsin) and works to connect adults who are "passionate about encouraging kids to read." Members include authors, illustrators, editors, teachers, librarians and others. The site features profiles of member authors and illustrators and short bios of many other authors and artists, including their birthdays. Signed copies of members' books are often for sale. Members also share favorite reads, themed reading lists, and more on the site.

Children's Literature Web Guide
Once the best starting point for exploring children's and young adult literature on the web, this site from David K. Brown of the University of Calgary has not been updated regularly since 2001. There are now other sites that provide much more comprehensive information, but this one is still worth checking out for some of its unique links, especially those with educators in mind.

Children's Poetry Archive (April 2007)
"When poets read aloud, they breathe life into the poems." That idea is the impetus behind this project that offers recordings of poems from 28 writers whose works will appeal to children and teens. The poems appear in print in addition to recorded versions. Among the poets included in the archive are James Berry, Valerie Bloom, Roald Dahl, Langston Hughes and Michael Rosen. Brief biographies of each poet are included along with information about when the recordings were made. Poems may be searched by author or subject. This project, which is based on Britain, also includes information about British publications that feature the poems.

Collecting Children's Books (January 2008)
A children's book enthusiast, reviewer, writer and collector writes about children's books old and new on this blog, offering insightful and engaging opinions, including his take on future collectibles. With opening lines such as "I've always wished I could go to one of Cher's garage sales" in addition to thoughtful commentaries, what's not to love?

deGrummond Children's Literature Collection
The deGrummond Collection at the University of Southern Mississippi is a research collection focusing on both historical and contemporary American and British literature for youth. Their web site includes an online exhibit on The Black Experience in Children's Literature.

Dr. Seuss Collection
This collection is part of the Mandeville Special Collections Library, University of California at San Diego. On the web site you'll find "Dr. Seuss Went to War: A Catalog of Political Cartoons by Dr. Seuss" and "The Advertising Artwork of Dr. Suess," which was done before Theordore Geisel's entry into the world of children's books.

EEK! Environmental Education for Kids
An electronic magazine for students grades 4-8, created by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. This extremely child-friendly site has lots of nature activites and information for kids, as well as a terrific section created especially for teachers.

Embracing the Child
is a nonprofit working to develop libraries for homeless and domestic abuse shelters and other havens for children and families in crisis. Their web site includes original interviews with featured authors of the month, thematic and age-based booklists, and much more.

Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art
The museum features picture book art from around the world, as well as the work of Eric Carle himself. Guest exhibits highlight the work of other outstanding picture book artists.

Favorite Teenage Angst Books (February 2006)
While this site hasn't been regularly updated since 2002, it's still worth a visit for its fresh, thematic approach to young adult literature. Reviews are organized into categories such as "Sex and Love," "Fitting In," "Mixed-Up Families," "Journeys," "Pressure," and others. It also features author interviews.

FlamingNet (August 2007)
This not-for-profit web site run by a high school student and his dad invites reviews of books from children and teens. The young reviewers pen their responses to books ranging from old standbys to advance reader copies of books that are about to be released and have been submitted by publishers or authors for review. The site links books reviewed to amazon.com for purchase, with proceeds earned used to purchase books for libraries in need.

Grow Up Reading (May 2008)
This terrific site developed by the West Bloomfield Township Public Library in West Bloomfield, Michigan, offers parents, early care providers and others a quick and easy guide to brain development and emergent literacy for children from birth through second grade. For each age, there is also a host of suggested activities to support literacy, tips for sharing books, and a bibliography of suggested titles to get things started.

Guys Read
Guys Read features books and ideas to promote literacy among boys (and men). It features recommended reading lists, a database searchable by author, title, and topic, links to selected authors, and more. Author Jon Sciescka is man behind the "Guys Read" idea.

Harry Potter's World of Magic Theme Park
Andy and his mom Ali have combined their considerable creative talents to produce one of the most original Harry Potter fan site on the web. After hearing that Warner Brothers was thinking of developing a Harry Potter Theme Park, Andy and Ali began to imagine what such a park would be like, and now you can visit their version yourself on the World Wide Web. Not only will you get to enjoy their imaginative rides, food stands, shops, shows, and games, you can also click on "creators' secrets" to learn how and why they created various attractions. Don't miss the Top Ten lists, the character interviews, or the "About Us" section where you can learn about the webmasters via cleverly designed wizard cards. Just like a real theme park, you could spend days wandering through here and still feel like you hadn't seen everything yet. Be sure to participate in the poll, too, to vote for your favorite site for the park. Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is definitely the dark horse candidate at this point, but at least it's edging out Paris.

Horn Book Virtual History Exhibit
Created by Lolly Robinson to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the first magazine to focus on the literary criticism of children's books, this virtual tour through the Horn Book archives is like a walk through 20th century children's literature. In addition to providing a history of the magazine and its editors, as well as a sampling of favorite articles from the past, you will also find letters from authors, illustrators, and readers, original illustrations from children's book artists, and radio interviews with Robert McCloskey, James Marshall, Uri Shulevitz, and Rosemary Wells.

I.N.K. (August 2008)
Interesting Nonfiction for Kids is a blog offering perspectives on writing--and reading--nonfiction from authors. A varied and often distinguished list of posters shares insight into their own work and responses to the work of others.

Jacqueline Woodson (June 2008)
In addition to biographical information, FAQs, and background on each of her many picture books and children's and young adult novels, author Jacqueline Woodson's site features pages with special information for readers, teachers, and caregivers.

Judy Blume (June 2006)
What does Judy Blume have to say about writing, censorship, and her books for children and teens? Find out on her web site, which has content for children and teens as well as adults.

Just One More Book! (March 2008)
Andrea Ross and Mark Blevins are passionate about children's books and share their lively appreciation in podcasts recorded three times a week at a coffee shop in Ottawa, Ontario. Their program includes book reviews, and interviews with authors and illustrators, while listeners send in their own audio reveiws to share. It's all accessible on a well-organized web site.

Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators
an extensive site to help teachers navigate through the web, includes an extremely helpful section on helping children and teens critically evaluate the sites they find on the web. It includes a combination of Schrock's original materials, as well as links to other sites that help hone the critical skills of the surfer.

Kids' Corner at BookMuse.com
This is part of an extensive site especially designed for book groups serving all ages of readers. Recommended books are reviewed by BookMuse staff who also provide several open-ended questions as a discussion starter for each book. Children's books are arranged by age level and catgories (mysteries, realistic fiction, reluctant readers, etc). Readers are invited to recommend books for inclusion and to submit their own written reviews for featured books. An especially nice feature is "Book Group of the Month" in which selected groups are profiled so that others can read about how the group works and what books they have enjoyed discussing.

Library of Congress Learning Pages
This site is a terrific resource for teaching about U.S. history. In addition to the vast amount of online information available on pages designed for both students and teachers, the site features activites, lesson plans and more for a wide range of topics, including teaching students about copyright issues on the web. There are also guidelines for using primary sources in the classroom, and links to additional recommended resources.

Lois Lowry (October 2006)
Author Lois Lowry's web site includes information about her books, a number of her original speeches, biographical information, and a link to her lively blog.

Mrs. Mad's Book-a-Rama
Mrs. Mad is the nickname of a primary school teacher in England whose site shows not only her passion for good books but also her understanding of young readers. Her child-friendly reviews, for example, appear in question-and-answer format: What's it about? What happens? Is it easy to read? and they give you an opportunity to tell her what you think about the book. You can also search for books by age level and reading interests, or take a look at Mrs. Mad's own Top 50 books. In addition to her excellent literature information, she provides links to sites of interest to young readers (and their parents).

National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature
NCCIL was established in Abilene, Texas, in 1997 as a museum devoted to children's book illustration. Their impressive web page includes general information about the Center and their exhibits, as well as an activity page for children, based on their current exhibit.

National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance
NCBLA is a non-profit organization that works toward making "issues related to young people's literacy, literature and libraries an ongoing priority on our national agenda." The NCBLA has resources for parents and guardians, teacher, librarians, mentors and others, all aimed at fostering awareness of the importance of reading, literature, libraries and literacy efforts. Their efforts include promotion of children's and teens' right to read. Their web site includes speeches and interviews with chidren's and young adult book creators, many links, an activists alerts and many literacy-related resources.

National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) (January 2007)
Serves as an umbrella organization for elementary, secondary, and college teachers of history, geography, economics, political science, sociology, psychology, anthropology, and law-related education. NCSS sponsors the annual list of Notable Trade Books for Young People for social studies (in conjunction with the Children's Book Council - www.CBCBooks.org). NCSS is also the sponsor of the annual Carter G. Woodson book award. Look for research, hands-on teaching tools, and more on their web site.

No Flying, No Tights
A graphic novel review site run by three enthusiasts, one of who is a practicing librarian. Great for both novices to the graphic novel scene and avid readers, it will be particularly helpful to adults working with children and teens wanting to learn about this field of literature and to read reviews. The main page links to three related sites: "No Flying, No Tights," the original, focuses on graphic novels for teens. "Sidekicks" looks at graphic novels for children. "The Lair" is graphic novels for adults and teens.

Notes from the Windowsill
is an online book review journal "celebrating children's books loved by adult readers." Editor Wendy E. Betts, who formerly worked on WEB: Celebrating Children's Literature, offers reviews from that journal, as well as new reviews, and news about upcoming releases, particularly reissues of old favorites.

Overbooked (February 2007)
This "site for ravenous readers" features bookslists by genre and theme as well as timely information on books published for young adults and adults receiving starred reviews in one or more professional review journals. Among the featured lists is "Adult Books for Teens."

Page by Page
This site sponsored by the National Library of Canada follows the creation of two Canadian picture books: Zoom Upstream written by Tim Wynne-Jones and illustrated by Eric Beddows; and School by author/artist Ginette Anfousse.

Picturing Books
You don't have to be a newcomer to the world of children's literature to be daunted at the thought of evaluating picture book art. Picturing Books can serve as a primer for anyone wanting to increase their understanding and knowledge of the art of picture books. The site provides excellent information about the anatomy and art of the picture book. Among the site's most valuable components are sections that define various artistic media and styles with examples (often but not always drawn from Caldecott titles).

Planet Esme (March 2006)
Don't let the chaotic appearance of this site keep you from spending a little time exploring its many thematic booklists (great for storytimes or classroom units) and recommended reads for children. Former teacher Esme Raji Codell also instituted the Chapman Awards for Best Classroom Read-Aloud, and features this on her site as well.

Poetry 180
Poetry 180 is the project that poet Billy Collins undertook when he was Poet Laureate of the United States. On this site hosted by the Library of Congress, you'll find his selection of poems for high school students--one for each day of the school year, as well as tips on reading and sharing poetry and other information.

Poetry for Children (April 2008)
Sylvia Vardell's blog features news and commentaries about poetry for children and teens. She doesn't post frequently, but her posts are informed and enthusiastic about poetry for--and sharing poetry with--youth.

Reach Out and Read (June 2007)
Reach Out and Read trains pediatric doctors and nurses to advise parents on the importance of books and reading aloud to young children. It also provides start-up money and book selection guidance so that clinics that become offical ROR sites can distribute a book to every child at their check-ups.

Read On Wisconsin!
Launched in September, 2004, this site is the online book club of Wisconsin First Lady Jessica Doyle. Children and teens are invited to read the featured book each month and log on to share their responses.

Read to Me
The site provides details about this innovative program developed by UW-Madison alum Susan Straub in the New York City public schools to encourage teen mothers to read to their babies. The site includes a step-by-step description of the program, which is adaptable to many kinds of new parents in many types of situations. Don't miss the extremely helpful tips for reading aloud to babies, which are arranged as questions and answers. Ms. Straub has given the CCBC permission to webcast a thirty-minute video that demonstrates her program.

Read, Write, Think (December 2005)
A collaboration between the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), the International Reading Association (IRA) and Marcopolo, Read,Write, Think provides "educators and students with access to the highest quality practices and resources in reading and language arts instruction through free, Internet-based content." The site includes lesson plans, online materials to use directly with students, and a terrific selection of links in the "Web Resources" gallery.

Reading Online
Reading Online is a peer-reviewed, online journal published by the International Reading Association. The journal focuses on literacy practice and research in classrooms serving students aged 5 to 18, and covers traditional print literacy, as well as visual literacy, critical literacy, media literacy, digital literacy, and more. A special mission of the journal is to support professionals as they integrate technology in the classroom. The journal features text, video, audio and graphics, and invites reader participation.

Reading Rants
Created by middle school librarian Jennifer Hubert, this site is comprised of annotated bibliographies on high-interest topics for teens such as weight and eating disorders, gay teens, rock bands, teen vampires, spirituality, and drugs. Even nonreaders are likely to be attracted to Jen's recommended reading lists that all have catchy titles such as "Boy Meets Book," "Reality Bites," and "Slacker Fiction," and her chatty reviews of each title make for pleasurable reading, too.

Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets is a national project designed to disseminate the latest research on how kids learn to read, along with ideas for books and activities to foster reading readiness and reading success, and how to help struggling readers. The lively web site has a wealth of information for families, as well as for educators. The project is a service of WETA, a public television station in Washington, D.C., and includes a PBS series and special, a teleconferencing series for teacher professional development, a mentoring project for first-year teachers, and much more.

Rethinking Schools (October 2007)
This non-profit organization based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, blends progressive vision, theory, and practice in its work. Rethinking Schools produces publications to promote "equity and . . .the vision that public education is central to the creation of a humane, caring, multiracial democracy." Check out the "Archives" to get full-text access to selected articles in the quarterly Rethinking Schools journal, as well as the complete tables of contents.

SB&F (Science Books & Films) (September 2008)
This online journal (formerly a print publication) is published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. It reviews print and nonprint materials about the sciences for all ages. A subscription is required for full access, but a sample issue and sample reviews are available free, as are their annual "Best Books" lists.

Science Fiction and Fantasy for Children
Linda Day, a librarian at the University of Guelph in Ontario, has compiled this searchable database of science fiction and fantasy book she recommends for children and teenagers. It provides detailed plot descriptions, and age and grade level recommendations. A great resource for any librarian, teacher, parent or reader looking for book suggestions, or looking to find the name of a book they can remember by plot but not title.

Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) (July 2008)
This member oranization for published and aspiring writers and illustrator offers a variety of services "to people who write, illustrate or share a vital interest in children's literature." There are regional conferences sponsored by regional chapters, as well as two international conferences. SCBWI also sponsors five children's literature awards, including the Golden Kite. Aspiring authors and artists will find their SCBWI Publications on creating books and getting published particularly helpful.

SurLaLune Fairy Tale Pages
This site provides excellent information about many of the most popular fairy tales, with individual pages for each tale that includes a history, scholarly annotation, similar tales, themes, illustrations, and a bibiliography. Begun as a a student project when the webmistress, Heidi Anne Heiner, was in library school, this site is cleanly designed, easily accessible, and frequently updated. A treat for scholars and browsers alike!

Teaching Tolerance (March 2007)
A project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, Teaching Tolerance offers lesson plans, bibliographies and other curriculum materials for teaching respect for and appreciation of diversity. It also offers resources for parents, teens, and children. Use the site's "search" feature to locate specific types of materials.

TeachingBooks
This extensive site created especially with teachers in mind not only has scores of links to author and illustrator web sites, information about awards, and teachers' guides, it also features original films about such children's literature luminaries as Jack Gantos, David Macaulay, and David Wiesner. Seachable by subject and grade level, you can also sign up to be notified whenever anything matching your special interests is added.

TeenReads
Part of the Book Report Network, this online forum provides teens with a place to talk about literature. The site features teen reviews of books, author profiles and interviews, an online newsletter, and a forum for responding to a question of the month relating to books.

The CCBC Harry Potter Pages
In addition to our own reviews of each of the Harry Potter books, our Harry Potter pages provide citations for other reviews, articles and interviews that look at the varying social and cultural responses to the books, and a virtual exhibit that looks at Harry Potter around the World.

Today's Reading News (July 2006)
Find out what is being written about literacy and education in newspapers across the country. Part of the Reading Rockets web site, "Today's Reading News" provides daily links to articles and news reports in the media.

Trelease-on-Reading (January 2006)
Read-aloud advocate Jim Trelease (author of The Read-Aloud Handbook) doesn't have the easiest site to navigate, but with a little patience you'll locate insightful and inspiring chapters from his book, as well as his essays on a variety of other topics. Click on the "Site Contents" link in lefthand column of the main page for the quickest way to navigate your way around.

University of Iowa Curriculum Resources Library (August 2006)
The site of the Curriculum Resources Library of the College of Education at the University of Iowa includes thematic bibliographies on a wide range of topics drawn from books in its collection. The site also highlights new materials in the collection, from trade books published for children and teens to teacher resources.

What Parents, Teens, Teachers and Librarians Want to Know about Graphic Novels
This terrific site created by a Canadian teacher-librarian offers targeted information for each audience (parents, teens, teachers/librarians) along with faqs, recommended titles, and links. A great starter site for those interested in graphic novels.

Young Adult Authors Cafe (May 2007)
Each week a different young adult author is interviewed on this blog that also invites questions from readers. The interviewees check back in the following week to respond to questoins that have been posted.