Children and Books

• Helping Your Child Learn to Read
  Activities for children up to age 10: suggestions from the U.S. Department of Education
  http://www.ed.gov/pubs/parents/Reading/
• Children's Literature Web Guide
  Award-winners, author information, and more
  http://www.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/index.html
• Picture Book Database
  A database containing abstracts of over 3000 picture books, thoroughly subject-indexed for teachers and parents by Miami University of Ohio. Many (not all) of these books are available at the AADL.
  http://mycroft.lib.muohio.edu/pictbks/
• Loved by Your Librarians
  • Librarians' Picks
    Lists of suggested books from the Ann Arbor District Library youth collections.
  • Featured Book of the Week

• Book Reviews by Kids

Librarians' Picks

Bibliographies Drawn from the Library's Youth Collection

HTML versions of the book lists that you are used to finding in the library will be posted here, often in updated form. The following are available so far. (Paper copies continue to be available: stop by and browse...)

• Books to Give
  The annual list of books to give as gifts is available here. Designed for the holiday gift-giving season, but good all year round. Includes magazines and a list of 1998 award-winning books.
• African American Perspectives I
  First published in 1993, a bibliography which includes fiction and nonfiction for preschool through middle school readers.
• African American Perspectives II
  New in 1998, this annotated list includes fiction and nonfiction books, as well as audiovisual materials.
• Back to School
  Fiction and nonfiction for pre-schoolers through 8th-graders.
• Book a Summer Symphony
  Fiction, picture-books, and folktales for music lovers, compiled for the 1997 Summer Reading Program.
• Books to Share
  A selected list of books to read aloud, including books to begin on, family favorites, and books for experienced listeners (and readers).
• Family Stories
  A bibliography of stories about some of our favorite fictional families, originally compiled for the Family Reading Program. Includes books for pre-schoolers through 8th-graders.
• Gardens of Reading
  A bibliography of fiction and nonfiction about gardens and gardening compiled for the 1996 Summer Reading Program.
• Historical Fiction: The Old World
  Historical fiction set in Europe, Asia, or Africa from ancient times to the twentieth century.
• Historical Fiction: America
  Historical fiction set in America, from the first European discoveries to the latter part of the twentieth century
• Lots of Laughs
  Funny stories, and lots of them.
• Read Up a Storm! 
  Fiction, picture books, folklore, and nonfiction about storms of all sorts, compiled for the 1998 Summer Reading Program.
• The Sports Page
  A modest selection of books on sports ranging from wrestling to soccer and rollerblading. Includes picture books and books for beginning readers, as well as fiction and non-fiction for more experienced readers.
• Stories about Strong Women
  Stories for all ages featuring girls and women of courage, independence, and strength of character, both historical and fictional.

Quick Picks

Brief bibliographies on popular topics, mostly unannotated.

• The Home Front
   Fiction and nonfiction about growing up in America during World War II.
• The Unspoken Years
   Fiction and nonfiction about the Japanese-American experience during the second world war.
• Things that Go
   From the Picture Book collection.
• Outdoor Adventure
   For all ages.
• Things that Fly
   From the Picture Book and Reader collections for beginning readers.
• Winter Reads
   Stories to curl up with.
• It Happens in the Library!
   Favorite fictional forays in libraries.

Brief introductions to books old and new, including some that are unexpected or offbeat, regularly updated.

This Week:

The Rains of Eriden (1977), by H.M.Hoover.

When working on the possibilities for the colonization of the planet Eriden in the year 2763, Theo Leslie discovers a young girl, Karen, whose parents have just been killed. Theo, who is a loner, finds it difficult and trying to have Karen in her care. She is not used to building emotional ties, nor is she prepared for the girl's honesty and innocence. Gradually, a relationship of trust and affection develops between the two, bringing hope to the feelings of isolation and loneliness of a cold and alien planet.

This is fine science fiction for ages 12 and up.

Previous Books of the Week

Ordinary Jack (1977), by Helen Cresswell.

Story for a Black Night (1982), by Clayton Bess.

Stevie (1969), by John Steptoe.

All located at http://www-personal.umich.edu/~pfs/aapl/close99.html

1998 Books of the Week

1997 Books of the Week

1996 Books of the Week

Book Reviews by Kids

A World of Readers. This site, created by Mary Timmons of the School of Education at the University of Michigan, features reviews of their favorite books by kids from all over.
http://www.worldreading.org