The Librarian's Guide to Developing Christian Fiction Collections for Children

Citation

McCallon, M. (2009), "The Librarian's Guide to Developing Christian Fiction Collections for Children", Collection Building, Vol. 28 No. 3, pp. 131-131. https://doi.org/10.1108/01604950910971170

Walker updates her 1998 book, Developing Christian Fiction Collections for Children and Adults: Selection Criteria and a Core Collection, by developing three distinct books: one for children, one for young adults, and one for adults. Walker begins this children's edition with three narrative chapters on the Christian fiction genre. The first chapter defines the genre with an historical overview and demographic profile of its readers. The other chapters discuss how to build and market a Christian fiction collection in a public library setting. Walker includes a helpful discussion of censorship issues that can arise in selecting Christian fiction materials, encouraging librarians not to exclude materials merely because they are religious in orientation, especially if there is a readership for them.

The titles included in the core collection are organized topically, beginning with Bible stories and books for young children. Other categories include contemporary fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, mysteries, and holiday stories. Walker also identifies key book series to consider in the previously mentioned genres. Each book and series includes ordering information, a synopsis by the author and brief quotes from other review sources (Booklist, School Library Journal, Christian Library Journal). DVDs and videos are also included, with ordering information and a plot summary for each entry. A helpful list of print and online review sources of Christian fiction is included in the book.

The book concludes with a listing of the Gold Medallion Award Winners for Children's Christian Fiction (presented since 1978) and a unique list of significant Christian fiction authors, including biographical sketches and Web sites. Some authors mentioned in the list may not be included in other literary biographical sources. An index to the volume references authors, titles and publishers. This scope and richness of this book make it an essential tool for any children's librarian interested in reflecting the diversity of readership in the community.