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xi Introduction The purpose of this book is to provide an activity-­ oriented survey of children’s literature for undergraduate and graduate students seeking licensure and degrees leading to careers working with children in school and public libraries. Most textbooks on children’s literature focus on teachers using literature in the classroom. This textbook focuses on librarians and library media special- ists. The framework for this text adds a layer of practical application in every chapter for the librarian who shares books with children, plans book-­based programs, and collaborates with teachers and families in sharing books and developing literature-­ based instruction. What does a librarian need to know about how to select and share books in each genre? What are the usual pro- motion and collaboration activities associated with each genre? This is the driving force of the book: linking literature with active practice in the school and public library. Embedded in a genre approach to literature, it has a unique focus on the librarian or future librarian as the reader. In my 35 years of university teaching, I have used nearly every major text- book in the area of children’s literature. Each has its strengths and weak- nesses, but none focuses specifically on the perspective of the librarian. The unique contributions of this textbook are threefold: designed for use by librari- ans, emphasis on action and library applications, and brevity for an affordable text and more time for reading literature itself. Each chapter is enriched by brief insets of author comments and interviews, practitioner insights, collaborative activities, featured books, special topics and programs, selected awards and celebrations, historical connections, rec- ommended resources, issues for discussion, connections with various stan- dards, and assignment suggestions. The table of contents is organized around these major genre divisions: