Websites...

REVIEWS OF LITERATURE AND INFORMATION RESOURCES FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE – A NEW ZEALAND WEBSITE AND AN OVERSEAS WEBSITE

1.

Wellington City Libraries (2014).  Kids blog.  Retrieved on 14 January, 2014 from http://www.wcl.govt.nz/blogs/kids/

I liked this site because the reviews are by children, for children, which can often be more effective than reviews by adults!  The rules for reviewing are simple… no poor language, and the reviews have to be submitted for moderation before going live.  Prizes are awarded after the first two reviews, and then every fifth one after that… a great incentive to get children involved in both reading and writing.

2.

The Guardian (2014).  Children’s Books. Retrieved on 14 January, 2014 from http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site

This is one of my favourite children’s book sites.  I love the layout and the sheer depth of information available – which is always topical and relevant.  (There is currently a feature on Catching Fire.)   There are links to a wide variety of books and book-related activities, and if all that is a bit overwhelming, you can click your age and find out about some age-appropriate possibilities.

AWARDS

3.

Booksellers (2012). New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards. Retrieved on 14 January, 2014 from http://www.booksellers.co.nz/awards/new-zealand-post-childrens-book-awards

I use this website a lot – especially around the time of the Book Awards, but also to refer back to past nominees.  It lists all the nominees and winners right back to 1997, which is a fabulous resource for librarians.  It also explains the criteria for each award.  The site itself is easy to navigate and clearly laid out. 

4.

Storylines (2010). Awards.  Retrieved on 14 January, 2014 from http://www.storylines.org.nz/Awards.html

This is a very basic looking site, but it is a veritable font of information as it lists all the winners of 8 major literary awards, going back to their origins, some of them in the 1990s.  It is a wonderful resource for librarians and teachers as it also provides links to author bios and award criteria.

ORGANISATIONS INVOLVED IN THE PROMOTION OF READING AND LITERATURE

5.

Magpies (n.d.) Talking about books for children. Retrieved on 13 January, 2014 from http://www.magpies.net.au/

The Magpies website comes in conjunction with the Magpies magazine and also The Literature Base magazine.  It is NOT an e-version of either publication, but you can search keywords to find articles of interest, which you can then locate in the appropriate magazine.  It is a great resource as it enables a reader to look up areas of interest, or specific authors – and then be led to two great journals.

6.

Lit World: be the story (2012). World Read Aloud Day Activities. Retrieved on 14 January, 2014 from http://litworld.org/worldreadalouddayactivities/

I stumbled across this website, and am pleased I did.  The litworld.org website is comprehensive and inspiring as they are a group who are trying to use the power of storytelling to give hope to children.  The Read Aloud Day page is a great resource for anyone wanting to get involved.  There are activity kits for classrooms, home, communities and the office, each with ideas on how to promote reading and book suggestions.

PUBLISHERS OR BOOKSELLERS

7.

Books for Kids. (2014). Welcome to Books for Kids. Retrieved on 15 January, 2014 from http://www.booksforkids.co.nz/

Books for Kids is a small, independently owned book shop in Hamilton.  I use them, and their website, all the time to source books and just keep in touch with what they are promoting.  It is a simple site, but it has an online shopping option, and clear contact instructions.  It is also Facebook linked so I keep in touch with them that way too.

8.

Random House Books, NZ. (n.d.). Young readers. Retrieved on 15 January, 2014 from http://www.randomhouse.co.nz/young-readers/

This is a comprehensive site, as you would expect from a large publishing house, with suggestions for popular reads, links to author information and activities.  I also like the Teacher link, which has books lists and classroom activities.  It is clearly laid out, although I would think it is aimed more at adults looking for ideas, than children.

FICTION READING AND REVIEWS FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN

9.

Books for Keeps. (n.d.) The Children’s Book Magazine online.  Retrieved on 15 January 2014 from http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/

This is a wonderful British site full of reviews for children (and to be fair, YA as well – so this site could fit into the category below as well), and including an online version of the Books for Keeps magazine.  There are links to a dazzling array of authors and the books they have written.  I particularly loved this edition (and so have included it on my list) because it included an interview with Chris Riddell, author of one of my favourite books last year, Goth Girl.

10.

The Children’s Book Review (2014). Growing readers.  Retrieved on 15 January, 2015 from http://www.thechildrensbookreview.com/

I liked this American site because you could click on links to recommended reading for different age categories (including YA, so it could fit into the next category too…), but you could also click on links to various subject/interest links (e.g. animals, award winners, fairy tales, books into movies etc…) It was a bit busy to look at for my liking, but as with the previous site, there was a huge amount to surf and a vast list of authors to investigate.

11.

Radio New Zealand (2014). Children. Retrieved on 15 January, 2014 from http://www.radionz.co.nz/genre/children

What a great resource for parents and teachers in this day and age of technology overload.  Children can listen to stories, classical music and reviews which have been aired on Radio New Zealand.  Although the book list is quite small, it is contemporary and there are some goodies in there, including Margaret Mahy’s The Dark Blue 100-Ride Bus Ticket and Vince Ford’s first book in his Scrap series.

FICTION READING AND REVIEWS FOR TEENAGERS

12.

Christchurch City Libraries. (n.d.) New Zealand Post Young Adult Fiction. Retrieved on 15 January, 2014 from http://christchurchcitylibraries.com/kids/literaryprizes/nzpost/seniorfiction/

This is less a review site than a list of the Young Adult finalists in the New Zealand Post Book Awards from 1997 to the present day.  There are links to blurbs for each book, which makes it a handy starting point for those who might be looking for a good quality Young Adult read.

13.

Wellington City Libraries. (n.d.) Teen Blog. Retrieved on 15 January, 2014 from http://www.wcl.govt.nz/blogs/teens/

This is a funky site, which looks as though it is produced by teens for teens.  Although it says it is a blog about reading it also says there may be stuff in there about Wellington and “whatever else” which recognises the fact that teens who read are interested in more than just that… The reviews tend to be copied from goodreads.com, but the site itself is appealing.

INFORMATION RESOURCES FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN

14.

Maria Gill. (2013). A writer’s journal.  Retrieved on 15 January, 2014 from http://www.mariagill.co.nz/

I love this site as it bridges the gap between website and the print information book, and seems to acknowledge that the two can co-exist in beautiful harmony!  You can use the site to buy Maria Gill’s books, but you can also click on links to find out additional information about the subjects in the books.  There are also links to activities for children to do. 

15.

B.B.C. (2014). History for Kids.  Retrieved on 16 January, 2014 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/forkids/

The BBC websites are always of high quality, and this is no exception.  Children can choose an era that interests them (Ancient History, World History, British History, and more, bearing in mind that there is a British bias) and then then have a go at some fun activities that will help them with their learning.  I particularly enjoyed the Ancient Egyptian mummy embalming game!

INFORMATION RESOURCES FOR TEENAGERS

16.

Teen Ink. (n.d.) Resources for Teens.  Retrieved on 16 January, 2014 from http://www.teenink.com/Resources

I rather stumbled across this cool website, written by teens for teens.  I am not quite sure if it fits into the Information Resource category, but its purpose is to encourage teenage creativity in all areas (art, photography, writing, health…) As well as providing some information on all these subjects, it also showcases the teens’ own art, poetry, photography, song writing etc…

17.

headspace.org.nz. (2014). Young People. Retrieved on 16 January, 2014 from http://www.headspace.org.nz/young-people/

This is a section within the headspace.org.nz website especially for teens, which talks about mental health and some of the issues which can effect teens (depression, bipolar, ADHD, suicide, eating disorders, etc…)  The site itself is reasonably simple and straightforward, but each section has links to other helpful websites and resources.

  

ANY OTHER WEBSITES YOU FOUND INTERESTING OR USEFUL.

18.

International Children’s Digital Library (n.d.) A Library for the world’s children. Retrieved on 15 January, 2014 from http://en.childrenslibrary.org/

I love this website.  It is an absolute treasure trove of stuff for children. You can read books online in a variety of languages – and best of all it is free, so is a wonderful resource for parents and teachers alike.  I have to say that I am not a huge fan of its layout… it could be a little simpler and funkier, but when something is good, you can overlook the odd little fault!

19.

500 Hats (n.d.).  The Teacher Librarian in the 21^st Century.  Retrieved on 15 January, 2014 from http://500hats.edublogs.org/

This blog by Barbara Braxton has blown me away in the last couple of days.  It is less about children’s literature and more about what it means to be a good librarian, but it is so in-depth and interesting that I had to include it.

20.

The New Zealand Herald. (2013). Hairy Maclary: A dog’s life. Retrieved on 15 January, 2014 from http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=11152991

This article, celebrating 30 years since Hairy Maclary’s emergence onto the literary scene, is a lovely retrospective of this classic work.  As well as looking at each of the dogs (and, of course THAT cat) and their individual characteristics, it also shares information about how Lynley Dodd went about creating the story.