ASSIGNMENT 1: Evaluate Selection Tools
SECTION I: Five Selection Tools:
Section I contains five selection tools to review and evaluate materials for children ages 0 to 4. These tools consist of Booklist, Horn Book, Kirkus Reviews, Read Kiddo Read, and School Library Journal.
1. Booklist: Print and Online Journal
Booklist is a book review journal published by the “trusted experts at the American Library Association.” Just the fact that this selection tool is published by a professional organization dedicated to librarianship gives Booklist instant credibility for any librarian looking for reliable reviews. Booklist reviews are written by librarians, teachers, and other professionals who work with children. The Booklist website has a link to the biographical information and qualifications of its reviewers.
Booklist reviews are categorized into sections; Adult Books, Books for Youth, Media, and Reference Sources. Booklist Online is a website and subscription database with access to more than 135,000 reviews including 8,000 recommended-only reviews. The website uses a "Quick Search" to search for book reviews by title, author, ISBN, or keyword. The "Advanced Search" option and access to full text reviews is only available to subscribers but anyone can register for a 14-day trial. Many public libraries consult Booklist reviews to guide their purchase decisions for materials selection. A subscription to the print version of Booklist serves as a readers' advisory for its library patrons.
Booklist's Review layout consists of a very general top line that groups books into categories such as "Books For Youth - Fiction - Fantasy." Under the categories are social media links to Tweet or share the review in Facebook. The citation information is displayed along with the cover page of the book and is formatted in the following order: Title, Author, Illustrator, year published, page count, Publisher, hardcover price, ISBN, library edition, price, age group, and review publication date. After the bibliographic information about the book there is a detailed review with a critique of the illustrations, quotations from the book, and a summary of the plot. The review also has links to buy the book from Amazon, find more books by the author, interviews with the author, and lists similar titles recommended by Booklist editors. At the end of the review is the date the review was written in parenthesis and the reviewer's name.
COMPARE: Booklist and other review journals require a subscription to access full text reviews from archival databases. Reviewers from the review journals are qualified and credentialed professionals. Booklist Online and Horn Book contain links to e-newsletters, blogs, lists of books by award, and other resources. All of the review journals have links to social media excepts SLJ.
2. Horn Book: Print and Online Journal
The Horn Book publications focus on children’s and young adult literature. Every edition of Horn Book Magazine reviews “approximately seventy new books for children and young adults” and includes a section for audiobook reviews. The Horn Book website provides full access to some feature articles, editorials, field notes, and reviews from its current magazine issue. The website also includes links to resources for choosing books, using books, and creating books. The printed version of the Horn Book Guide is issued semi-annually and provides ratings and reviews for almost all children’s and young adult books published in the United States in a six-month period. Horn Book Guide Online is an online version of the Guide and subscription includes access to its database of reviews dating from 1989 to the present.
Horn Book reviews are short and one paragraph in length. The review title is "Review of..." book title, and is followed by the review date and reviewer's name. The top of the review had links to like the review in Facebook and to recommend it in Google+. Each review provides bibliographic information; including cover image, title, author, illustrator, ages the book is appropriate for, publisher, page count, publication date, ISBN, and price. The review gives a short description of the illustrations and plot, and quotations from a scene in the book to provide a sample of the author's writing style and tone. A unique feature of the Horn Review was background information about the author and what inspired the book. Under the review are links to Related Posts, a short biography about the reviewer, and more ways to share using other social media tools. Reviews are grouped according to tags and/or what the book is filed under. Searching for a specific book title in the the Horn Book website did not yield any results and there was no option to search by age.
COMPARE: Horn Book and other review journals require a subscription to access all full text reviews in its database. The Horn Book and Booklist websites include links to an e-newsletter, awards, and blogs.
CONTRAST: The Horn Book distinguishes itself from other review journals by allowing readers to leave a comment on the book review page, including background information about the author in the review. and a short biography about the reviewer. The website also has links to interviews from authors and illustrators and an opinion section for editorials and letters to the editor. The Horn Book and SLJ do not have links to buy the book from the review page.
3. Kirkus Reviews - Print and Online Journal
Kirkus Reviews proclaims to be "The World's Toughest Book Critics." Book reviews are written pre-publication and are known for their honest and critical nature. Kirkus Reviews are written by “experienced book-reviewers” and children’s reviews are written by librarians. Kirkus Reviews categorizes book reviews by genre and there is a link dedicated to children’s and teen book reviews.
The main page of the Children’s and Teen Book Reviews showcases Critics’ Picks, featured books, suggestions of books by subject, Available Books, and books Coming Soon. Searches are by author, title, keyword, or age ranges: 0-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-11, middle school, and high school. Search results have drop down menus with options to change the display, sort by publication date, limit to books awarded a Kirkus Star, and availability of the book.
A Kirkus Review contains a cover image of book followed by the title, author, illustrator, age range, a few sentences of the review, and a link to read the full review. A children’s book review starts with the title and the review date, then follows a three paragraph format.
The first paragraph is usually one sentence describing a similar book title and concepts. The second paragraph details the main plot of the story, gives an excerpt from the book, descriptions of the illustrations, and overlying theme of the book. The last paragraph is an evocative sentence about the book. The book format and age range is included in parenthesis at the end of the review, ex. (Picture Book. 0-2). The Publication Date, ISBN, Page count, Publisher, the date the Review Posted Online, and the Kirkus Reviews Issue it was published in is included at the bottom of the review.
The first paragraph is usually one sentence describing a similar book title and concepts. The second paragraph details the main plot of the story, gives an excerpt from the book, descriptions of the illustrations, and overlying theme of the book. The last paragraph is an evocative sentence about the book. The book format and age range is included in parenthesis at the end of the review, ex. (Picture Book. 0-2). The Publication Date, ISBN, Page count, Publisher, the date the Review Posted Online, and the Kirkus Reviews Issue it was published in is included at the bottom of the review.
Kirkus Reviews also have the title and cover image of other books written by the author and similar titles suggested by their critics. The reviews include links to buy the book from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or a Local Bookseller. There are also social media links to Tweet, or share via Facebook, Google+, and email.
COMPARE: Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, and Read Kiddo Read all have links to buy the book, a list of other books written by the author, and similar books recommended by their critics/editors.
CONTRAST: Some features unique to Kirkus Reviews are that the book reviews are written pre-publication and subscribers can rate the book being reviewed. Only books deemed by their editors to be of "remarkable merit" are given a Kirkus Star.
4. Read Kiddo Read - Online Database Only
The Read Kiddo Read online database is a valuable resource for parents, teachers, and librarians to encourage children to read. The reviews are categorized by age and reading level: Great Illustrated Books for ages 0-8, Great Transitional Books for ages 6 and up, Great Pageturners for ages 8 and up, and Great Advanced Reads for Ages 10 and up. The Great Illustrated Books is further divided into Books for Babies (birth to two), Storybooks (ages 2 to 6), Easy Kid Reads (ages 2 to 8), and Just the Facts.
The Read Kiddo Read reviews have the title, author's name, cover image, publisher, year of publication, page count, suggested ages the book is appropriate for and the ISBN. The website's colorful layout and user-friendly interface make searches for specific book titles easy and kid-friendly.
Each book has two reviews, a Parent Review and an Educator Review. The parent review focuses on the response and interaction of their child with the book. Having a parent review provides insight to the reactions a child may have to the book but is somewhat biased. The Educator Review is a critique from a qualified professional in the field and emphasizes reading and literacy skills. Some educator reviews describe the children's reaction to the book in a classroom or story time setting.
The reviews focus on personal experiences with the book which is helpful to librarians selecting materials. Librarians need to be aware of current trends so they can choose materials that meet the needs and interests of their community.
COMPARE: Read Kiddo Read, Booklist, and Horn Book all have links to buy the book, a list of other books written by the author, and similar books recommended by their critics/editors.
CONTRAST: Read Kiddo Read is a free online database with access to full book reviews but is not available in print format. There are two reviews about each book, a Parent Review and an Educator Review. Having two reviews about the same book provides readers with different perspectives and viewpoints of the book. At the end of the review are themes covered in the book, extras with links to the author’s website, and what critics from other professional journal have said about this book, ex. Publishers Weekly.
5. School Library Journal - Print and Online Journal
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
The School Library Journal (SLJ) branched off from Library Journal and focuses primarily on children's and young adult literature. SLJ evaluates and reviews children’s books and media for library media specialists and children’s librarians. The SLJ mission is to bring libraries into the center of their communities by keeping professionals up-to-date with news, technology, and information literacy.
SLJ reviews are available in print and archived online in its searchable database with reviews dating back to 1987. The SLJ reviews are written by librarians and educators that evaluate materials “in terms of literary quality, artistic merit, clarity of presentation, and appeal to the intended audience.” Having established criteria for evaluating materials ensures the reviews are consistent and unbiased. The reviews are grouped according to age appropriateness or by format type; Preschool to Grade 4, Grades 5 and Up, Graphic Novels, Adult Books 4 Teens, Professional Reading, Reference Books, Digital Resources, Multimedia, and Spanish.
SLJ Reviews begin with bibliographic information including the author’s name, book title, illustrator, number of pages, Cataloging in Publication (CIP), publisher, publication date, price, ISBN, and LC number. The age level the book is intended for is displayed in bold type (PreS-K) and followed by a short, concise review focused on the main plot of the story. The review quotes scenes from the book and goes into detail about what type of medium was used to illustrate the book, ex. watercolor. Some reviews give the moral of the story and discussion points. At the end of the one paragraph review is the reviewer's name and library or educational institution affiliation. SLJ has a Stars List of books which is used to "distinguish the truly outstanding titles."
COMPARE: School Library Journal and the other review journals require a subscription to access all full text reviews in its database. Both Kirkus Reviews and SLJ use star icons so users can quickly identify which books are recommended.
CONTRAST: The SLJ is the only online journal reviewed that did not provide a cover image of the book in the review, links to buy the book, or ways to share the review through social media sites.
SLJ reviews are available in print and archived online in its searchable database with reviews dating back to 1987. The SLJ reviews are written by librarians and educators that evaluate materials “in terms of literary quality, artistic merit, clarity of presentation, and appeal to the intended audience.” Having established criteria for evaluating materials ensures the reviews are consistent and unbiased. The reviews are grouped according to age appropriateness or by format type; Preschool to Grade 4, Grades 5 and Up, Graphic Novels, Adult Books 4 Teens, Professional Reading, Reference Books, Digital Resources, Multimedia, and Spanish.
SLJ Reviews begin with bibliographic information including the author’s name, book title, illustrator, number of pages, Cataloging in Publication (CIP), publisher, publication date, price, ISBN, and LC number. The age level the book is intended for is displayed in bold type (PreS-K) and followed by a short, concise review focused on the main plot of the story. The review quotes scenes from the book and goes into detail about what type of medium was used to illustrate the book, ex. watercolor. Some reviews give the moral of the story and discussion points. At the end of the one paragraph review is the reviewer's name and library or educational institution affiliation. SLJ has a Stars List of books which is used to "distinguish the truly outstanding titles."
COMPARE: School Library Journal and the other review journals require a subscription to access all full text reviews in its database. Both Kirkus Reviews and SLJ use star icons so users can quickly identify which books are recommended.
CONTRAST: The SLJ is the only online journal reviewed that did not provide a cover image of the book in the review, links to buy the book, or ways to share the review through social media sites.
