Reading on the Internet

In addition to the classroom library, books and literature are also readily available on the Internet. Electronic literature can be particularly attractive to students who are interested in a topic, but have already exhausted classroom and library resources. Kids may also be attracted to the novelty offered by web sites with their illustrations and sound files, and they can gain computer skills while navigating the web.

Because so much information exists, we have included only a small introductory portion of what the Internet may offer. For more information on a topic, start surfing!

AUTHORS AND PUBLISHERS

The Internet has become a great source of information about numerous children's writers and illustrators. Typing in an author's name can result in a vast array of personal websites and websites maintained by publishers, fans, scholars, and readers. Fortunately, many of these sites are designed to promote enjoyable reading experiences and encourage growth in reading. Some of our favorite authors who have amazing websites include Judy Bloom, Gary Paulson, Beverly Cleary, and J. K. Rowling.

Publishers of children's literature (like Scholastic or Random House) often have fabulous websites designed to hook kids on reading and, of course, promote their publications in the process. So be sure to check out your favorite publisher when searching for new electronic reading sources.

BOOKS ONLINE

In addition to children's and young adult author web pages, the web also provides literature. Thousands of opportunities are available to read online. Many of the collections contain rare or out-of-print books that might be difficult to locate otherwise.

To preserve their treasures and to make them more accessible to the public, many universities are developing extensive online collections. You may want to check out the following:

University of Calgary

One of the best collections of children's classics on line can be found at the University of Calgary site:

http://www.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/storclas.html

University of Virginia

Here, hundreds of titles from 1500 AD to the present are available for both children and adults. Some are, however, restricted to University of Virginia users, due to licensure agreements.

http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/eng-on.html

The Online Books Page

This side offers a comprehensive guide to literature online sponsored by The University of Pennsylvania.

http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/

The International Children's Digital Library (ICDL)

The ICDL is a five-year project funded by the National Science Foundation and the Institute for Museum and Library Services to create a digital library of international children's books. This wonderful new site is user-friendly and includes search engines, color pictures and books in dozens of different languages. Don't miss this one!

http://www.icdlbooks.org/

The Rosetta Project

The Rosetta Project's collections currently contain about 2,000 antique children's books that were published in the 19th and early 20th century. The current goal of putting 2,000 volumes on line will create an online library of approximately 65,000 html pages. However, as they are still collecting books from around the world, it is expected that the Rosetta Project online library will eventually grow to millions of html pages.

http://www.childrensbooksonline.org/