Compiled by Kay E. Vandergrift
With many thousands of books published for children and young people each year, it is difficult to stay on top of issues and trends as well as particular books from various publishing houses. Publishers homepages often give different, and sometimes more in-depth, perspectives on new materials than do printed catalogs. The list below is the beginning of what will undoubtedly be an increasing number of sites in the children and young adult publishing world. It is useful to begin with a visit to BookWire that is one of the best sources of information on publishing in general. It is also helpful to visit the Media Catalog Pagethat provides links to and addresses for publishers, producers, distributors of other media.
Avon Books Although Avon publishes children’s books, this page does not provide much information about this aspect of their work.
Bantam Doubleday Dell A Young reader’s page with links to their books. Each book page is very nicely done with cover in color and commentary included on the book.
Bi-Lingual Books for Kids Written with Spanish and English appearing side-by-side, these books introduce bilingual skills, increase language and learning abilities and positively heighten awareness of many cultures.
Canadian Children’s Book Centre“The Canadian Children’s Book Centre helps the creative talent of Canada – the writers, the illustrators – reach the people who count: the readers.”
Children’s Book Council This site includes information likely to be useful to professionals in the children’s book field. The pamphlet, “Choosing A Child’s Book” is available as well as articles on children’s publishing. Information on Children’s Book Week is provided.
Children’s Writing Resource Center This site is maintained by the Children’s Book Insider, a newsletter for children’s writers. It is designed from the perspective of authors and those who want to write.
Cobblestone Magazine Excellent issues devoted to thematic approaches in history.
Dorling Kindersley Family Library This site is still expanding but includes multimedia, videos, and CD-ROM’s. You will also want to visit the outstandingDorling Kindersley MultiMedia Site with animated dinosaurs and other goodies.
HarperCollins Children’s Books This site is exciting; called “The Big Busy House,” it is a pleasure to use. It seems to have more than a commercial aspect to the design of the pages.
Heartsong Books Very strong on the roots of peace and the valuing of all life.
Houghton Mifflin Opportunity to examine books from the catalog of children’s books for Houghton Mifflin.
Kane-Miller Book PublishersSpecializes in foreign translated works for children.
The Ladybird Story Ladybird sales exceed 30 million copies a year and translated editions of a Ladybird book now exist in over 60 languages. With a reputation based on figures like these, it is not surprising that Ladybird Books Ltd is one of the leading publishers of children’s books in the world.
Klutz Press Klutz is an independent publishing company staffed entirely by real human beings. It began corporate life back in 1977 in a Palo Alto, California garage shared with a Chevrolet Impala.
Little Brown Children’s Page Little Brown, a subsidiary of Time-Warner, has a site with information on books and other things.
Mondo Publishing This site has a multi-faceted approach, publishing and educational consulting.
North-South Books This site has a beautiful tone to it! Excellent profiles on their authors and artists such as Lisbeth Zwerger and Michael Hague.
Puffin House in UK This is a beautifully done site that offers a great deal of fun to readers as well as solid content.
Random House Generally contains adult resources but worth visiting for the Seussville page that includes interactive stuff. Some YA books and author sites are included.
Reed Publishing in Australia A site that offers a great deal of information of books in Australia.
Scholastic Publishing This is a complex site that offers a great many links and lots of interesting book information. Watch for interactive worksite to open soon.
Sierra Club Children’s Books Provides a selection of children’s books with detailed annotations.
Small Presses Owned and Operated by People of Color Publishers of Children’s Books This is a bibliography of resources developed at the Cooperative Children’s Book Center at the University of Wisconsin.
Tradewind Books An important resource for publications that will be useful for younger children. The Zoo At Night by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Bee Willey has a six-foot long foldout.
Usborne-USA The American site for this delightful publisher of informational books.
Waterfront Books Provides books on special issues for children.
Time Warner There appears to be a kids’ corner that changes from time to time. Pathfinder seems to be the bridge among several changing elements in this homepage. The primary page appears to change every few days.