Professional Development
Children's Literature on the Web
The Web offers a wide-variety of resources for helping students explore literature. From author studies to book theme extensions, you can use the Web to extend and enhance the impact of books. In addition to resources for students, the Web also offers the teachers a wealth of resources for children's literature. You'll find lesson plans, activities, projects, book reviews, discussion boards, and book extensions all designed to make teaching literature more exciting for you and your students.
Selecting Books
The Web is a great tool for locating book titles. From online book stores like Amazon and Barnes and Nobles to book review sites designed for teachers and students, you'll find locating just the right titles for classroom use is an easy task using the resources on the Web.
Online Bookstores
You don't have to buy a book to use the resources at online book stores. Use sites like Amazon to find titles that will be useful in your classroom. In addition to book reviews, many online bookstores offer other services that will make locating just the right title easier.
Amazon
You can read reviews, excerpts, find the 100 most frequently used words in a book, get readability statistics and more.
Barnes and Noble
You'll find reviews from critics and readers at this site.
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Children's Book Publishers
All of the major children's book publishers have websites with details on book titles and a variety of other resources including lesson plans, games, interactive sites for students and more. They are great resources not just for literature, but also for other subject areas.
Random House Teacher Center
Author bios, teaching ideas, and book info.
Harper Collins
Book reviews, games, and a section on how a book is made.
Houghton Mifflin
Site features separate kid's, parent's and teacher sections with games, activities, teaching ideas, book reviews, author profiles and lots more.
Scholastic
Homepage for Scholastic, site includes sections for parents, teachers and students. You'll find author interviews and live chats, book reviews and teaching ideas, games and lots more.
Top Book Review Sites for Students
Book Hive
This site from the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County features book reviews and students can even add their own comments.
On-Lion
You'll find booklists, book reviews, author and illustrator links and more at this site from the NY City Public Library.
Kids Reads
This site for kids has book reviews, author information, games, book club guides and lots more.
Teen Reads
Reviews of Young Adult titles along with brief author bios.
World of Reading
Students can submit and read reviews by other students at this site from the Ann Arbor District Library.
Morton Grove Public Library Booklist
This site features brief overviews of children's books organized by topic.
How to Write a Book Review
Kids can learn the components of a good book review at this site from Kids On the Net.
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General Book Review Sites
NY Times
You'll find reviews for the latest books as well as reviews from the past few years. You will need to complete a free registration.
Midwest Book Review
Monthly books reviews.
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Award-Winning Books
Your Kids Library
Reviews of all 360 Newbery Medallist and Honor books awarded since 1922.
Database of Award-Winning Children's Literature
Create a list of award-winning books to meet your specifications. Top
Book Review Sites for Teachers
Book Talks
This site from N.H. Librarian Nancy Keane features brief overviews of over 1000 children and young adult titles.
Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Site
Reviews of books for kids along with ideas of ways to titles in the classroom.
Children's Book Council
Lists of new books, thematic titles, and other resources.
Book a Minute
For when even the condensed version is too long!
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Author Studies
Once you have located a book, use the web to learn more about the author. You'll find that many authors have websites with profiles, book excerpts, lesson ideas and other resources. In addition to the personal websites of authors, you will also find author information, interviews, and live chats with authors at other websites.
Author websites
Authors and Illustrators on the Web
Links to author Web pages from the Children's Literature Web Guide.
Index to Children's and Young Adults' Authors and Illustrators
Links to a variety of author and illustrator resources including Websites, interviews, and a name pronunciation guide.
Scholastic – Authors and Books
Profiles, author chats, interviews and more.
Harper Collins – Authors
Author interviews, profiles and links.
Houghton Mifflin Author Spotlight
Author biographies, interviews, and contact information.
Yahooligans – Authors
Links to author Websites.
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Sample Author Sites
Book Series websites
The Alice Series
Animorphs
Berenstain Bears
Little House Books
Goosebumps
Harry Potter
Lemony Snicket
Magic School Bus
Narnia
Seussville
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Teaching Ideas
Why recreate the wheel? You'll find lots of great teaching ideas, lesson plans, activities and other curriculum resources on the Web that will help you bring literature to life in your class.
General Resources
Children's Literature Web Guide
This site has it all, lists of award-winning books, teaching ideas for books, and links to author pages.
Fairrosa Cyber Library
Articles, reviews, author links, discussions and more.
Kay Vandergrift's Special Interest Page
Hosted by Professor Kay Vandergrift at Rutgers University, this site includes sections covering: Materials for Children, Gender and Culture in Picture Books, Young Adult Literature, History of Children's Literature, Linking Literature with Learning, Feminist Studies, and Professional Writing Resources.
Top Teaching Resources
CyberGuides
CyberGuides, developed by the San Diego County Office of Education, are supplementary web-delivered units of instruction centered on core works of literature. They are designed for the classroom with one online computer.
The Doucette Index to K-12 Teaching Ideas for Literature
Searchable index to books and websites with teaching suggestions and ideas.
Read, Think, Write
This site from the International Reading Association features lesson plans that use literature to explore a variety of themes.
EdSitement
This site from the National Endowment for the Humanities has some great literature lesson plans for older students.
Discovery School Lesson Plans
A collection of literature lesson plans, primarily for middle and high school.
PBS Teacher Source
Search for art and literature lesson plans from PBS.
Scholastic Lesson Plans
Collection of lesson plans in a variety of subject areas, including literature and reading.
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