Has Anyone Ever Written a Story About…..
March 23rd, 2009 by Jon
You’re thinking about writing a picture book about peacocks. It would be pretty useful to know if other books like this already exist. Unfortunately, this seemingly simple sort of query is actually one of the tougher challenges facing authors. Library card catalogues are often too general to indicate what else might be out there relating to a specific topic.
That’s why the Children’s Picture Book Database from the University of Miami (Ohio) is such a cool tool. Open up the keyword list, go to “P”, click on peacock and see what’s out there! (Not a whole lot, as it turns out. Anyone got a good peacock book in them?)
Good stuff, and well worth a visit: http://www.lib.muohio.edu/pictbks/search/
March 23rd, 2009 at 7:47 pm
Jon - This is a great resource. I never knew it existed. This will be helpful for reviewers and people who put together read-alike lists, too. Thanks.
March 30th, 2009 at 7:09 am
[...] In a recent post at the Children’s Web Writing Journal, Jon Bard asked the eternal question: Has Anyone Ever Written a Story About … ? That’s how I learned about Miami University’s Children’s Picture Book Database. [...]
April 1st, 2009 at 1:01 am
[...] Has Anyone Ever Written a Story About….. Posted on Monday, March 23rd, 2009 in Uncategorized - Comments: (2) You’re thinking about writing a picture book about peacocks. It would be pretty useful to know if other books like this already exist. Unfortunately, this seemingly simple sort of query is actually one of the tougher challenges facing authors. Library card catalogues are often too general to indicate what else might be out there relating to a specific topic.That’s why the Children’s Picture Book Database from the University of Miami (Ohio) is such a cool tool. [...]