Children's Literature

Featured Databases

The children's literature field does not have a unique database. Use databases from literature, education, and liberal arts areas. The best place to start with is the MLA.

MLA International Bibliography indexes most of the major journals in the children's literature field and contain information on children's authors. Although this database does not have full text articles, look for the or the
OmniFile Full Text Mega indexes a few children's literature journals (Bookbird, Journal of Children's Literature and New Advocate) that are not included in MLA International Bibliography and so is a good supplemental database. This database has many full text articles.
Children's Literature Comprehensive Database (CLCD). Lists over 100,000 reviews of children's book reviews, many of them full-text.

Article Databases with Information about Children's Books and Authors

Periodicals Index Online.
Indexes over 4,000 journals in the liberal arts area from 1665 to 2000; is most useful for historic information. Link to the full text in the sister database, Periodicals Archive Online.

ERIC (OVID Software) is the major database indexing books and articles in the field of education and providing some full text since 1992.

Three other large databases covering multiple fields are good supplements to the MLA Internation Bibliography. Look for the link to full text articles.

Biographical Databases

Literature Resource Center. Biographies, bibliographies, and critical analyses of authors and individual books. This is the first choice as it includes content from Something About the Author and Children's Literature Review (see notes in next section.)

Other useful biographical databases:

Biography Resource Center.
Full-text articles from periodicals.
Contemporary Authors.
Biographical information on current U.S. and international authors.
Contemporary Literary Criticism Select.
Critical essays on contemporary authors.
Dictionary of Literary Biography.
Biographical and critical essays on many influential literary figures from around the world.
Biography and Genealogy Master Index.
Huge online index to print biographical sources.

Printed Resources in the HSSE Reference Collection

Children's Literature Review
Reference 028.505 C438.
Essay length articles about authors or their works written for teachers, librarians and parents. Each essay includes biographic information, the authors themes, awards won, and commentary from the author about their work along with critical excerpts about the author's work.

Children's Book Review Index
Reference 028.52 C436.
Index to reviews of children's books published in periodicals between 1975 and 1998.

Children's Catalog.
Reference 028.5 W69c 1996.
A bibliography or list of fiction and non fiction recommended for libraries, this has long been used by librarians and teachers to identify the "best" in books for children. Arranged in Dewey Decimal order with extensive indexes.

Children's Literature: A Guide to the Criticism
Reference 011.62 H384c.
Pulls together articles and books relating to authors, themes, subjects, and genres in children's literature.

Something about the Author
Reference 028.5092 So54.
Autobiographic essays written for children who are looking for biographical information.

Books, Journal Titles and Full-Text Journal Articles

Children's Literature Collection is located in the Hicks Undergraduate Library (UGRL).

Another collection of children's books is available in the Technology Resources Center (TRC) in room 3287 in Beering Hall. Hours are Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

The online catalog lists books and both print and electronic journal subscription titles in the Purdue Libraries.

Electronic journals are listed in E-Journals, which leads you to the full text of many journal articles.

Major Journals in Children's Literature

Bookbird
Older issues are shelved in the Periodicals by call number: 028.05 B644; Latest year in HSSE Library's Periodical Reading Room shelved by title. ~ Full text in Proquest Research Library from 1998-present and Omnifile Full Text Mega 2004-present.

Children's Literature
Older issues are shelved in the Periodicals by call number 809.89282 C436; Latest year in HSSE Library's Periodical Reading Room shelved by title. ~ Full text in Proquest Research Library from 1998-present and Project Muse from 2003-present. Indexed in MLA International Bibliography.

Children's Literature Association Quarterly
Shelved in the Periodicals by call number: 809.89282 C4365. Full text in Proquest Research Library from 2004-present and Project Muse from 2005-present.~ Indexed in MLA International Bibliography.

Children's Literature in Education
Shelved in the Periodicals by call number: 809.89282 C437. ~ Full text in Academic Search Premier from 1993-present and Professional Development Collection from 1993-present. Also from publisher Springer Standard Collection from 1997-present. Indexed in Arts and Humanities Citation Index, ERIC (OVID Software), and MLA International Bibliography.

Journal of Children's Literature
Older issues are shelved in the Periodicals by call number: 028.505 J8265; Latest year in HSSE Library's Periodical Reading Room shelved by title. ~ Full text in Omnifile Full Text Mega from 2001-present.

Lion and the Unicorn
Full text electronic access in Proquest Research Library from 2003-present and Periodicals Archive Online from 1977 until 1995 and Project Muse from 1995-present ~ Also Indexed in Arts and Humanities Citation Index and MLA International Bibliography.

~ Shelved in the Periodicals by call number: 809.89282 L661. Latest year in HSSE Library's Periodical Reading Room shelved by title.

New Advocate
Shelved in the Periodicals by call number: 028.505 N42 ~ Ceased publication in 2003. Indexed in ERIC (OVID Software) and Omnifile Full Text Mega.

Selected Web Sites

CLRC/Kerlan and Hess Collections: Children´s Literature Research Collections.
Children´s Literature Web Guide (CLWG)
International Children's Digital Library: Collection of fulltext children's books from around the world.