Research Guides: Children's & Young Adult Literature: Books

Finding Books

Search The Library Catalog

Use the search box below to explore what's available in the Morris Library's Catalog.

If you have questions about how to use the catalog (or what it is) please watch the tutorial below.

[10 Minutes]

MeLCat

Want a book (or CD or DVD) that we don't have?

We can get it delivered to our Library by using MeLCat, a service that connects most libraries in the state of Michigan.

The tutorial Below explains more about how to use MeLCat [3 Minutes]

Running into trouble when using eBooks? This tutorial explains how to use ebooks on both of the library's platforms and how to avoid some of the most common issues. [7 Minutes]

Visit our Access Guide for more information about accessing electronic resources, including eBooks, off campus.

Children's and Young Adult Literature

Audible Stories
Right now, when family routines may be disrupted and days unpredictable, you can still turn to us. Kids everywhere can instantly stream an incredible collection of stories, including titles across eight different languages, that will help them continue learning, dreaming, and just being kids.

All stories are free to stream on your desktop, laptop, phone or tablet.

Explore the collection, select a title and start listening.

It's that easy.
Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Site
This is a collection of reviews of great books for kids, ideas of ways to use them in the classroom and collections of books and activities about particular subjects, curriculum areas, themes and professional topics.
Bookology Children's Literature

Amazon
Look for editorial reviews. Some are not full text.
Booklist Online
Edited and created by the American Library Association
Horn Book
Kirkus Review
Reviews children's books and adult fiction, mystery, science fiction, non-fiction, and translations
School Library Journal
Serves librarians who work with young people in schools and public libraries

Caldecott Medal
The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.
Caldecott Winners @ KCC
Newbery Award
The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.
Newbery Winners @ KCC

YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Aduts
YALSA launched a Teen Book Finder Database, a one-stop shop for finding YALSA's selected lists and award winners.
The Michael L. Printz Award for Teen Literature:
The Michael L. Printz Award annually honors the best book written for teens, based entirely on its literary merit, each year. In addition, the Printz Committee names up to four honor books, which also represent the best writing in young adult literature.
ALA Youth Media Awards
Each year the American Library Association honors books, videos, and other outstanding materials for children and teens. Recognized worldwide for the high quality they represent, the ALA Youth Media Awards, including the prestigious Newbery, Caldecott, Printz, and Coretta Scott King Book Awards, guide parents, educators, librarians, and others in selecting the best materials for youth.

Awards for Children's Lit

"The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children." -ALA

"The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children." -ALA

Newbery and Caldecott winners are designated in the Library Catalog. Do a keyword search for "Newbery Medal" or "Caldecott Medal" in the catalog.

Coretta Scott King Book Awards: Named for Coretta Scott King, wife of Martin Luther King, Jr., this award recognizes outstanding African American authors and illustrators.

DAWCL: Database for Award-Winning Children's Literature: DAWCL has over 8,000 records from 86 awards across six English-speaking countries.

Children's Literature Books

The Learning Resource Center has a great collection of children's books, anthologies of children's literature, and reference guides to children's literature.

Use the Library Catalog to Search for books and other materials available for check out at the KCC Library. Access the catalog from the library home page or through the Library Catalog link above.

Children's literature -- History and criticism.

Children's literature : a reader's history, from Aesop to Harry Potter by Seth Lerer
Call Number: Level 2 - Current Books 809.89282 L56

ISBN: 9780226473000

Children's literature -- History and criticism.
Crosscurrents of children's literature : an anthology of texts and criticism by Editors: D. Stahl, Tina L. Hanlon, Elizabeth Lennox Keyser
Call Number: Level 2 - Current Books 810.99282 C88s

ISBN: 0195134931

This volume combines a wide variety of primary texts with critical readings, examines the texts within the context of critical debates, explores the ways in which children's literature combines instruction and entertainment, oral and written traditions, words and pictures, fantasy and realism, classics and adaptations, and perspectives on childhood and adult life.
The hidden adult : defining children's literature by Perry Nodelman
Call Number: Level 2 - Current Books 028.5 N67

ISBN: 0801889804

What exactly is a children's book? How is children's literature defined as a genre? A leading scholar presents close readings of six classic stories to answer these questions and offer a clear definition of children's writing as a distinct literary form.

Children's Literature Reference

The Oxford encyclopedia of children's literature
Call Number: Level 1 - Oversize Books 809.89282 Ox25z

A-Z organization, accessible writing, plentiful illustrations, cross-references, bibliographies, a comprehensive index and a systematic outline make the Encyclopedia an invaluable and easy-to-use research reference. (Also available online through the library catalog.)

The Reference Section is found on the main level, Level 3, and contains great subject-specific encyclopedias and dictionaries.

Also search our catalog for:

The Continuum encyclopedia of children's literature by Bernice E. Cullinan and Diane G. Person, editors.
Call Number: Level 1 - 809.89282 C76

The work covers 150 years of children's literature in many cultures: the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, continental Europe, Israel, Africa, and the Far East.