University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma
This page focuses on reference sources about children's books. The next tab, Children's Books, focuses on the books themselves.
References sources are useful for getting a general overview of a topic. They do not formulate new ideas or interpretations; rather, they summarize existing knowledge and scholarly research, and their entries often include citations to the sources used to compile them.
A reference source is generally not something you will use as a source in a research paper. However, it can be a good starting point for your research on a topic because you can gain a background understanding of current knowledge and theory about that subject, and the citations can lead you to good secondary sources and related works.
Reference books are marked with red stickers on their spines. They do not circulate; you must use them in the library.
A Broken Flute: The Native Experience in Books for Children by 
A to Zoo: Subject Access to Children's Picture Books by 
Black Authors and Illustrators of Books for Children and Young Adults: A Biographical Dictionary by 
The Cambridge Guide to Children's Books in English by 
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Children's Literature by 
Portraying Persons with Disabilities: An Annotated Bibliography of Fiction for Children and Teenagers by 
Portraying Persons with Disabilities: An Annotated Bibliography of Nonfiction for Children and Teenagers by If you want to browse the library stacks, you can use these call numbers to find books about children's books:
PN 1008.2-1009.5 Juvenile Literature
Z Bibliography. Library Science. General Information Resources
Z1037-1039 Books for special classes of persons (including children)
The P section is on the third floor of the library stacks, and the Z section is on the fourth.
