Selecting Books for the Elementary School Library Media Center: A Complete Guide

Offers advice on establishing selection criteria, incorporating diversity in elementary collections, and evaluating picture books, fiction, poetry, informational literature, reference materials, and professional books.

This well-organized, engaging book provides experienced librarians with specific criteria for selection and introduces essential skills to pre-professionals and to the many paraprofessionals now staffing school libraries. The first four chapters give an overview of the selection process and general guidelines for establishing and applying criteria, including the need for achieving diversity and for using professional tools. The remaining nine chapters present measures for evaluating specific genres, including picture books (with color plates illustrating artistic considerations), fiction (including classics and series), genre fiction, folk literature, poetry, informational literature, reference, and professional books. The guidelines are presented in an accessible format ("How do the pictures tell the story?" "Do they convey meaning and emotion?"). Each chapter concludes with a list of titles cited, references, recommended professional resources (annotated), and representative authors and illustrators. A valuable book for media specialists, public librarians and lay students of children's literature.
Sue Burgess, Framingham State College, MA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Noted library educator and author Van Orden offers a comprehensive guide to the process of selecting children's books. The first four chapters provide an overview of the selection process and discuss the specifics of collection development criteria and tools. Van Orden also suggests additional considerations for nine separate genres, ranging from fiction to folklore to poetry to informational books. One of the strongest chapters is on picture books, which provides an extensive discussion of art and illustration. Throughout, the author cites various children's book awards and offers representative lists of books and authors for genres. Although intended as a textbook for school-library collection development classes, this should help any librarians who choose books for children to hone selection skills. Kay Weisman
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