Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Easy information sources for ESL, adult learners, & new readers (book)

Riechel, R. (2009). Easy information sources for ESL, adult learners, & new readers. New York: Neal-Schuman,

Librarians in every community find challenges in serving adult patrons who struggle to read. Adult book collections are too daunting…and many children’s books are simply
too childlike. This bibliography identifies and describes more than 250 nonfiction books from the children’s department that will support and engage your adults with special needs.

Organized into 15 popular subject areas, and based on recommendations from respected public library adult and children’s librarians, school librarians, and children’s authors, the books included in this annotated bibliography are based on specific criteria, including:

· Coverage of popular, but complex topics, using clear language,
and highly readable presentations
· Accurate, well-researched texts
· Appealing, informative illustrations to enhance text
· A minimum of “childish” features

The majority of works recommended are recent with publishing dates after 1998 and they can be recommended with confidence because they do not “talk down” to adult readers or embarrass those who may be new readers. This new work is both a handy “book finding” tool and a terrific resource helping your library fulfill an important community outreach mission. (book description)