Resources for Lovers of Children's Literature on TeachingBooks.net

Former Wisconsin bookseller (and database software manager of the San Francisco Giants) Nick Glass has introduced a free Web site, TeachingBooks.net, useful for anyone involved with children's books. The comprehensive site offers useful links for all booksellers -- original multimedia information about authors, tour schedules, reading guides, and more arcane bits. If you need Miss Frizzle to drive a bus or the Stinky Cheese Man to brew the coffee -- the site has a long list of costume rentals. A source for reproducible bookplates is included, as are links to intellectual freedom resources.

All in one place, TeachingBooks.net offers thousands of teacher's guides on books for grades pre-K through 12, cross-referenced by target age, reading level, and subject matter. The site contains hundreds of multimedia author programs, including original productions of frontlist authors and illustrators -- such as Bryan Collier, Jack Gantos, Betsy Lewin, and David Wiesner. Glass has produced about two dozen author interviews, which he posts at the rate of one per month. Also available are author readings and audio interviews particularly valuable for groups in areas off the beaten path of author visits and book signings.

TeachingBooks.net provides an e-mail service geared specifically to the registrant -- a subscriber can request only news about books in a specific subject and for a specific grade level -- for example, fairy tales for seventh graders to adult.

Glass told BTW that his inspiration for TeachingBooks.net stemmed from his years as a bookseller at Pooh Corner in Madison, Wisconsin. "Through the site, we want to give people resources for sharing books. Children's booksellers have a great knowledge of the field. Many educators use librarians as resources; we want them to find the booksellers in their communities also. Our listing of children's booksellers by location is intended to connect more people to their local independent store. We welcome any store committed to children's literature [that wishes] to be included. Contact nick@teachingbooks.net."

TeachingBooks.net is accessible for free to registered members through 2003. Readers of Bookselling This Week can register by entering http://www.TeachingBooks.net in their Web browser. Click Sign In, then Register Now. Fill in the profile. Enter Sponsorship Access Code B0021 in the box provided. Click Submit at the bottom of the form. --Nomi Schwartz