Useful websites for teachers and librarians
Passport: An internet guide to international children's literature
This is an excellent website, offering a comprehensive look at international literature from a U.S. perspective. It recognizes and discusses many of the issues in this body of work, and provides information about awards, books, authors and illustrators.
International Children's Digital Library
This is an exciting project that was begun in order to create a database of children's books from all over the world. Books in at least 100 languages are available for free reading and downloads to children, teachers, librarians, and scholars.
Database of Award Winning Children's Literature
This database was created by librarian Lisa Bartle, and it is an easily searchable compilation of award winning books. 57 awards from six English speaking countries are included, and the site is regularly updated and currently has almost 5000 books listed. Definitions for the awards are given, and the user has the option to search by several different criteria, including age of reader, nationality of protagonist, author/illustrator/translator, and genre.
This is a bilingual website for the study of books in Spanish for children and young adults, and it endeavors to promote literacy in Spanish and English. It is a project of California State University- San Marcos, and users can search the database for books in Spanish or English about Latinos, or just browse by author or title. Workshops are offered, such as "Traditional Literature from Latin America for Children and Adolescents". There are lists of Caldecott and Newbery books that have been translated into Spanish, and there are resources such as magazines and websites in Spanish for children and educators. The most useful part of the site for teachers and librarians are the lists of books about Latinos. A wide variety of books are included.
International Board on Books for Young People
This is the homepage for IBBY, which is an international network dedicated to bringing quality literature to children all over the world while promoting international understanding. Their quarterly journal, Bookbird, highlights topics in international literature. IBBY also honors authors and illustrators who have made an outstanding contribution to children's literature with the Hans Christian Anderson Award.
Jessica Langlois 2005