Search Tip of the Month
This Month's Features
Spreading the News

   The Internet has become an integral part of our lives. It can isolate an individual from the people nearby, but it can also easily connect us with people around the world. Recently, my father connected with a concentration camp survivor whose train was liberated by his unit in World War II. She lives in Australia and he lives in the United States. Without the Internet, they never would have connected. They email each other now on a regular basis and talk about their families and their current activities.

   It seems to me that September is a month filled with connections and re-connections. Educational classes and exercise classes begin. Teachers and students become acquainted with one another. Friendships develop in classrooms, dance studios and on tennis courts. On a recent listserv discussion about Harry Potter, someone commented that she felt connected with people all around the world on July 21 as they simultaneously read the final book in the series.

   There is another opportunity to feel connected through literature this month. Jumpstart and ALSC invite you to share The Story of Ferdinand with children in your community on Thursday, September 20, 2007. By taking part in Jumpstart’s Read for the Record (www.readfortherecord.org) you will be a part of this nationwide movement connecting children and adults and reinforcing the importance of providing all children with the learning experiences they need in order to be successful.

   Connections are what we are about here at the Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database (CLCD). Important parts of our mission are to connect you with information about books, authors and illustrators around the world, and connect children and young adults with the books that will make a significant difference in their lives. The depth of our content combined with the breadth of our search capabilities make the CLCD the best Internet tool available for helping to develop the next generation of literate adults.

   Very soon you will be seeing a new look for CLCD and Children’s Literature, as well as, the introduction of our new Author Illustrator Booking Service. Each of the home pages has the same easy to use navigation and is identified by a different color.

   The newest search capability is the ability to search for professional materials. There have always been reviews in CLCD of books that are appropriate for teachers, librarians and children’s literature specialists. With the addition of a new review source Book News we have added the cataloging records and brief annotations of materials that will appeal to the professionals involved with children’s literature. However, the default for any searching will always be the children’s and young adult materials. You must take a specific action to limit your search to professional materials or to search the entire database. The revised search screen has a pull down menu adjacent to the line Professional/PreK-12 which allows users to limit their searches.

   One final tip, remember to hit the clear button when you start a new search or you may get a null return which can be frustrating.

   Our Hispanic Heritage update includes books about great baseball players such as Pedro Martinez and Jorge Posada, astronaut Ellen Ochoa, and prima ballerina Evelyn Cisneros. We also have picture books, John Ritter’s young adult novel, Under the Baseball Moon, and more.

   Grandmothers and grandfathers love spending time with their grandchildren and will overcome all kinds of obstacles to see them, as Banjo Granny by Sarah Martin Busse and Jacqueline Briggs Martin illustrates. It is one of the books in our Grandparents Day update.

   We have updated our themed reviews for Rosh Hashanah which begins at sundown on September 12th. Included in our list is the award winning book, The White Ram: A Story of Abraham and Isaac by Mordicai Gerstein. It is a marvelous way to help children ages 6 to 10 understand the significance of the shofar, or ram’s horn, proclaiming the Jewish New Year.

   There are several new books on Islam listed in our update on books for Ramadan, which begins on September 13th. Be sure to look at an interesting new biography, Ibn Al-Haytham: First Scientist, in which author Bradley Steffens interweaves Moslem history, the scientific method, and the life of this Iraqi scholar.

   CLCD Newsletter Editor, Sharon Salluzzo serves as a library and education consultant to CLCD. In addition, Sharon is a book reviewer, a storyteller, and a member of The Children's Book Guild of Washington, DC. She currently serves on the ALSC Quicklist committee. Sharon earned her MLS at SUNY Geneseo.

About the Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database

   Our monthly newsletter is now available to everyone within an organization, not just the primary contact. A new feature at www.childrenslit.com will provide you with a form allowing you to sign up for just the electronic newsletter. The Children's Literature Comprehensive Database, updated mid-month, is your most complete source of information about children's books. Indeed, it is the next best thing to having the book in hand, and the best tool for leading you to the best books. All at a most affordable price. To subscribe to the CLCD or contact us, go to www.childrenslit.com.