This was an interesting question to tackle, mostly because there is quite a bit out there to use. Firstly, I have to mention that I continue to use a couple ‘old’ print lists. They sit on my desk as a quick reference:
Meet the Authors and Illustrators (Scholastic)
Meet the Canadian Authors and Illustrators (Scholastic)
Every Teacher’s Thematic Booklist (Scholastic)
Yes, these were published in the 1990’s (for the record, when I was still in high school!!) but I find these print copies useful, especially when talking to parents and teachers who are looking for the ‘golden oldies.’ Also, I find that, more and more, classroom teachers are returning to classic picture books and, less frequently, older novels to create a balance between old and new.
As others have stated, NoveList k-8 is an excellent source, comprehensive and up-to-date. Our school district provides this site for free for school and at-home use. I also continue to use the Canadian Children’s Book Centre site (http://www.bookcentre.ca) frequently for biographies and for current information on literacy awards and author visit info. Also, the information at ERAC (Educational Resource Acquisition Consortium) (https://bcerac.ca) is critical.
I've always thought that teachers stick to the old titles because they do ot want to do the work of preparing a new title. Have you looked at an up-to-date version of A-Zoo. If not, you'll love it.
ReplyDeleteAlso CCBC is good but tends to cheerlead too much. For more honest Canadian reviews, CM (on-line) is good and if you can afford 40 bucks I suggest a subscription to Resource Links. And SLJ is a must.