Children's literature continues to receive growing scholarly attention, and this is due, in part, to the increased awareness of the complexity of these works and their importance in the curriculum. While some books may become classics and continue to be read long after their publication, others are the product of contemporary society and reflect the changing values of modern American culture. So, too, those titles that have been singled out for recognition reveal the standards of awards committees. This reference is a guide to works of American children's fiction that have won awards between 1995 and 1999.

Some of the books were published before that period, and thus their recent recognition affirms their enduring value. Included are more than 750 alphabetically arranged entries for authors, titles, characters, and settings related to nearly 250 books. Entries for novels provide plot summaries and critical commentary, while those for authors give biographical information. The volume demonstrates the growing number of multicultural novels and books about nontraditional families, while it also shows the continuing importance of historical fiction and the waning appeal of traditional adventure novels. While the volume will be valuable to librarians and teachers and to scholars of children's literature, it will also be useful to anyone interested in these works as a commentary on American culture at the close of the twentieth century.

"Helbig and Perkins offer in one comprehensive volume information about fiction of recognized distinction written for children: entries give biographical data on authors, detailed plot summaries, information about outstanding characters, memorable settings, significant motifs. The authors, both respected critics and university teachers of literature, have certainly performed a service to students of children's literature in compiling all the data they present here. Their brief critical evaluations are a special strength of the book." Children's Literature Association Quarterly "A welcome addition for all libraries whose staff or patrons seek the best in children's literature." American Libraries "Browsers will be ensnared by this book, which gives extremely detailed (if rather rigorously critical) plot summaries, character sketches, and brief author biograhies for 420 children's books." Choice

Celebrating the wealth of quality multicultural literature recently published for children and young adults, this valuable resource examines the fiction, oral tradition, and poetry from four major ethnic groups in the United States. Each of these genres is considered in turn for the literature dealing with African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native-American Indians. Taking up where their earlier volume This Land is Our Land left off, Helbig and Perkins have teamed up once again to identify and expertly evaluate more than 500 multicultural books published from 1994 through 1999. Both considered authorities in the field of children's literature, the two of them personally selected, read, and evaluated all the books included here. Their insightful annotations help readers carefully consider both literary standards such as plot development, characterization, and style, as well as cultural values as they are represented in these cited works. Each entry also indicates the suggested age and grade level appropriateness of the work. With the proliferation and ever increasing popularity of multicultural literature for children and young adults, this sensitively written volume will serve as an invaluable collection development tool. Teachers, as well as librarians, will find the comprehensiveness and organization of this bibliography helpful as a guide in selecting appropriate materials for classroom use. Even students will find this book easy to use, with its five indexes identifying works by title, writer, illustrator, grade level, and subject. Public libraries and school media centers will find much use for Many Peoples, One Land.

Written for librarians, teachers, and researchers, this is the second five-year supplement to the authors' Dictionary of American Children's Fiction, 1960-1984 (Greenwood, 1986). Its 567 entries cover 189 award-winning children's books by 136 authors published from 1990 to 1994. Included are concise critical reviews of novels, biographical profiles of authors, and descriptions of memorable characters. An appendix lists books by the awards they have won, and an extensive index allows complete access to the wealth of material contained within this reference work. Included are alphabetically arranged entries for those works that critics have singled out to receive awards or have placed on citation lists during the five years covered by the volume. The reference also contains biographical entries for leading authors of children's fiction, with entries focusing on how the author's life relates to children's literature and to particular works in this dictionary. The volume provides a list of awards, along with an appendix classifying individual works by the awards they have won. An extensive index provides full access to the wealth of information in this book.

How do you select the best recent works of fiction, oral tradition, and poetry about African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic-American, and Native-American Indian experiences and traditions from the profusion of titles being published today? This annotated bibliography of titles for children and young adults published from 1985 through the end of 1993--with 60% published since 1990--provides a one-stop selection tool. Appraisals of 559 titles, as well as information about an additional 188 recent books and 90 earlier ones of importance, are provided.

Each entry features a plot summary incorporating themes, critical comments with a judgment of the book's value as an example of its genre, suggestions of other books by that writer, and related books of importance. The authors, who are recognized authorities in children's literature, and an advistory board of librarians and teachers, each of whom specializes in the literature of a particular ethnic group, have provided insightful critical appraisals and expertise and guidance in the selection of titles. Helpful subject, grade-level, author, title, and illustrator indexes are organized for ease of use. Titles in the grade-level and subject indexes are also identified by ethnic group.

Young adult readers have special needs and concerns, and librarians have become increasingly interested in selecting books suitable for them. This reference provides information about 290 books for young adults. These books received major awards between 1997 and 2001, reflect the voices of 242 different authors, and range from new to familiar themes. Included are nearly 750 alphabetically arranged entries for individual works, authors, characters, and settings. Many of these books were originally written for adults but have become popular among younger readers. Entries for works provide plot summaries and critical assessments, while author entries focus on those aspects of the writers' lives most relevant to literature for young people. The reference is a valuable selection tool for librarians and teachers and a useful guide for students.

With its companion volume, this book effectively provides descriptions and evaluations of award-winning American fiction for children over the last 125 years. The compilers provide clear, insightful, and critical evaluations. Despite its title, the bibliography lists fiction for both children and young adults. . . . These two volumes, likely to become reference mainstays, are recommended for academic libraries that support children's and young adult literature or teacher education, and for public libraries and media centers. "Choice"

This volume is a fine addition to the reference works of children's literature and should be considered as a first purchase by those studying children's literature in-depth and in particular by those preparing booktalks. "ARBA "

These two volumes will be useful to anyone concerned with children's literature--librarians, teachers, and students. "Reference Books Bulletin"

In this companion volume to their "Dictionary of American Children's Fiction, 1859-1959," Alethea K. Helbig and Agnes Regan Perkins present detailed information on a comprehensive selection of contemporary books for children and young adults. This dictionary consists of 1,550 alphabetical entries for each title, author, main characters, and other important aspects of each work such as significant settings or elements in need of further clarification. The 489 novels examined in this work include the winners and finalists from major award lists, as well as other books recognized for merit by a variety of experts in children's literature. An extensive index includes all the items for which there are entries. Other index entries cover themes, subjects, unusual narrative structures, author's pseudonyms, and genres.

Designed for librarians, teachers, and researchers who work with children's literature, this volume offers comprehensive coverage of a broad spectrum of award-winning fiction worthy of closer attention by scholars and further exposure to youngsters. Its 726 entries deal with the other English literature, comprising 263 works of fiction by 164 authors from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, and selected African nations that publish books for young people in English. Books chosen for inclusion have been recognized as outstanding by library associations and award committees of various institutions, including Horn Book magazine, the Children's Book Trust of India, the Children's Literature Association of Nigeria, and other sources identified through the Centre for Children's Books at the National Book League in London, the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), and Children's Books: Awards and Prizes, published by the Children's Book Council, Inc. Particular awards and citations are noted with the book entries, and a list of more than forty, with the awarding institution, is provided in the front of the volume.

Entries on books include bibliographical data and identify the relevant subgenre of fiction; they describe the setting in time and place, offer a plot summary, identify characters, and provide a critical assessment. The biographical entries for authors note other writings, the book's place in the body of work, an assessment of artistry and critical recognition, and influences and sources of ideas. Additional entries deal with outstanding characters, memorable settings, and key motifs. All entries are mutally cross-referenced, and an extensive index will guide the researcher to particular subjects, including illustrators, as well as broad subjects, such as books written in the first person, settings by period, genres, and themes.

This one-stop cross-cultural selective guide to recent retellings of myths and hero tales for children and young adults will enable teachers and library media specialists to select comparative myths and tales from various, mostly non-European cultures. The focus is on stories from Native America, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Central and South America, and Oceania. The Guide contains extensively annotated entries on 189 books of retellings of myths and hero tales, both ancient and modern, from around the world published between 1985 and 1996. Represented are 1,455 stories suitable for use with young people from mid-elementary through high school. The entries, arranged alphabetically by writer, contain complete bibliographic data, age and grade levels, and evaluative annotations. Seven indexes--title, author, illustrator, culture, story type, name, and grade level--make searching easy. The story type index will enable teachers to select comparative myths and tales from different cultures on more than 50 types of myths and hero tales. Among the many myth types cited are origin of human beings and the world, comparative social customs and rituals, natural and heavenly phenomena, animal appearance and behavior, searches and quests, and tricksters. Among the hero tale types are fools and buffoons, kings and queens, warriors, monster slayers, important female figures, magicians, voyagers and adventurers, and spiritual leaders. The Guide concludes with a bibliography of retellings published earlier that have come to be considered standard works.