Children's Books: A Practical Guide to Selection

Van Orden, Phyllis J., and Sunny Strong. Children's Books: A Practical Guide to Selection. New York: Neal-Schuman, 2007. Print. ISBN: 1-55570-584-7

So what makes one version of a fairy tale something to purchase and another version something to skip? What factors do you consider when deciding whether or not to order a certain nonfiction title? This book offers ways to make selection a more concrete process. Click here to see the full table of contents. -- Jen

From the Publisher's Description:

Make better book choices with more confidence!

So many books. So little time. So many needs. So little budget. If this describes your situation, here's a new book to help you approach book selection confidently and strategically. If you are new to the library environment, in charge of training new librarians or paraprofessionals, or looking for new ideas in collection development, this resource is a must-have. Phyllis Van Orden, a past president of both the Association for Library Services to Children and the Association for Library and Information Science Education, and Sunny Strong share their advice for:

• Establishing general criteria and following guidelines
• Choosing diverse material
• Using selection tools effectively
• Special selection criteria for specific genres, including picture books, fiction, genre fiction, folk literature, rhymes, and poetry
• Special guidelines for selecting particular subjects

You ’ll learn how to:

• Ask the right questions
• Probe the intellectual content of the subject
• Examine the worth (quality, value, merit) of a book
• Verify the bottom line --is it worth the price?