Books Received

Abstract

Books Received Mark I. West The Agony and the Eggplant: Daniel Pinkwater's Heroic Struggles in the Name of YA Literature. By Walter Hogan. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 2001. Hogan provides an overview of Pinkwater's life and career and then goes on to discuss Pinkwater's numerous books for children and young adults. Hogan includes brief analyses of Pinkwater's picture books and novels for younger children, but Hogan emphasizes Pinkwater's YA novels. Building Characters through Literature: A Guide for Middle School Readers. By Rosann Jweid and Margaret Rizzo. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 2001. Designed as a resource for parents and teachers who are involved with the "character education movement," this book introduces 50 children's novels that "show strength of character." For each of these novels, Jweid and Rizzo summarize the plot, discuss the central characters, provide a list of discussion questions, and suggest various research projects that relate to the novel. The Continuum Encyclopedia of Children's Literature. Eds. Bernice E. Cullinan and Diane G. Person. New York: Continuum International, 2001. This massive, one-volume reference book includes 1,200 entries on children's authors and illustrators. It also features approximately 100 entries on particular genres, awards, and other topics that relate to children's literature. This reference book is thorough in its coverage of modern children's literature, but its coverage of historical children's literature has some significant gaps. There are no entries, for example, on Jacob Abbott or Peter Parley, the two most important American children's authors before the Civil War. The Louisa May Alcott Encyclopedia. Eds. Gregory Eiselein and Anne K. Phillips. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2001. This reference work features over 600 entries that relate to Alcott's life or writings. Written by some of the leading scholars in the field, the entries go into considerable detail and conclude with helpful bibliographies. The Queen's Mirror: Fairy Tales by German Women, 1789-1900. Eds. Shawn C. Jarvis and Jeannine Blackwell. Lincoln, NE: U of Nebraska P, 2001. This anthology features 28 literary fairy tales, many appearing for the first time in English. For each fairy tale, the editors provide information about the German woman who wrote the tale. Teaching Banned Books: 12 Guides for Young Readers. By Pat R. Scales. Chicago: American Library Association, 2001. Intended for an audience of teachers and librarians, this book provides teaching strategies for 12 frequently censored children's books. Among the books that are covered are Judy Blume's Blubber, Mildred Taylor's Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, and Katherine Paterson's Bridge to Terabithia. Ten Terrific Authors for Teens. By Christine M. Hill. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow, 2000. Hill supplies snappy biographical sketches on ten contemporary children's authors, including Virginia Hamilton, Julius Lester, Lois Lowry, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Gary Soto, and Laurence Yep. Although intended for teenagers, these sketches include information that would also be of interest to adult readers. Using Picture Storybooks to Teach Character Education. By Susan Hall. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx, 2000. Hall begins her book with a thoughtful discussion of character education, after which she provides brief entries on picture books that emphasize desirable character traits, such as cooperation, empathy, and patience. [End Page 100] Copyright © 2001 Children's Literature Association