What is in the Children's Book Review Database?
The database contains reviews of children's books written by librarians, library staff, trustees of public libraries, and patrons. The intent is not to provide professional, detailed reviews, but to give an indication of whether the titles are worthy and useful. The Database contains both fiction and non-fiction titles geared toward all young ages, from pre-Kindergarten to young adult.
How do I search the database?
You have two choices: 1) the "simple search" allows you to search for specific ISBNs, titles, authors, illustrators, or publishers. You can also search for titles by specific age level, by fiction or non-fiction, and by year published. 2) the "keyword search" allows you to locate terms which could be anywhere in the review. This is especially useful if you don?t know the exact title or author, or if you are searching for titles dealing with a specific subject.
What is the Children's Books Review Program?
The program provides review copies of recent children's titles to librarians for the purpose of providing brief, yet informative reviews of those titles for the rest of the library community to read. In return, you may keep the titles that you review.
Who is eligible to participate in this program?
Librarians at any public library are eligible, however we especially encourage smaller libraries with limited collection budgets to participate.
How do I sign up for (or quit) this program?
Contact Craig Neilson at the State Library Division.
How many books do you send for review, and how often do you send them?
We can tailor our shipments to meet your schedule. Generally we send approximately 20 titles every other month.
Do we have to review all the titles?
In the past we have recommended that you that review the titles that you feel are most worthy of comment and review. With our new database in place, we now urge you to review and/or find reviewers for as many of the titles as you can. Remember, we can tailor the size and frequency of our shipments to suit your ability to review the titles.
Who is supposed to write the review?
The librarian or other library employee may review the book, as well as board members, and the public. As these reviews are aimed at other librarians and adult selectors of children's titles, we discourage the use of children as reviewers unless the reviews meet our standards.
What are the standards for a review?
Reviews should contain the following information: 1) The full title, 2) The series (if any), 3) the author and illustrator, 4) the ISBN number, 5) the publisher, 6) the date of publication 7) the grade level, 8) whether the title is fiction or non-fiction, and 9) a brief but informative review of the book, which includes a brief description of the contents, and an opinion about it (Not Just "I Liked it" or a blurb from the book), 10) the name and library of the reviewer, and 11) the date reviewed.
How do I submit a review?
1) Go to the Children's Books Review Page
2) Click on "add review"
3) Fill out all the spaces for each title. a) ISBN (do not use dashes), b) Publisher, c) Reviewer (enter in this format: "Pat Freebish, Morgan County Library 07/99), d) Title, e) Author (last name, first name), f) Illustrator (if known; Last name, first name), f) Grade Level (choose one from the pulldown menu), g) Year Published (4 digits), h) If you recommend the book, check the "recommend" box; (If you do not recommend the book do not check the box, and explain why in the "review" section) , i) check the "fiction" box if the title is fiction. (If it is non-fiction, leave the box blank.), j) enter your review in the "review" box.
4) After you have filled in the form, hit the "submit" button. You will see the "review saved" screen. Click "here" to go back to the main review screen. To enter another review, click on "add review." If you do not want to submit the review, hit the "cancel" button, which will clear the screen.
For more information - Craig Neilson
Youth Services