The internet is a gold mine for information on children’s literature and early literacy.  Here are a few terrific links to get you started. 

Henrico County Library  Here it is – the key to the castle.  Your public library is just waiting for you to explore its treasures.  Old favorites like Curious George and Where the Wild Things Are sit there on the shelf with new friends you have yet to meet.  And, they are all FREE!  Really, it would be rude not to take the county up on its generous offer to share all of these books with you.

Reading Rockets is the result of a partnership between WETA, the public television and radio station in Washington DC, and the U.S. Department of Education.  It offers information on how children learn to read and how adults can help.  It is filled with scholarly research on literacy, as well as practical tips for families.

Madame Esme  –  Esme Rajid Codell is the author of several terrific books for older children, including a favorite of mine titled Sahara Special.  She also wrote a book for parents called How To Get Your Child To Love Reading.  It is a huge, thick book full of terrific book suggestions, written in Esme’s own humor-filled style.  Check out her website for a taste of Madame Esme, and then splurge and get a copy of her book.

Jim Trelease – Jim Trelease has launched a one man crusade to teach adults the value of reading aloud to children, and he is passionate on the subject.  His book, The Read Aloud Handbook, is now in its sixth edition, and is the definitive source for information on reading aloud.  It also contains a comprehensive bibliography of suggested read-alouds for children from infancy through adolescence. 

Chinaberry – This site is the only commercial site on the list, but Chinaberry is near and dear to my heart.  I started ordering books from the Chinaberry catalog when my elder daughter was not yet 2 years old, and she is now a high school freshman.  And, most of those books are still living on shelves in my house, and they make frequent trips to Canterbury.  Chinaberry is like having your own personal children’s bookseller who culls through all of the garbage that gets published and pulls out the gems just for you.  It costs a little more than ordering from Amazon, but I believe we have to support these types of businesses.