From Cover to Cover: Evaluating and Reviewing Children's Books

by Kathleen T. Horning

From Cover to Cover has been considered the definitive guide to reading, reviewing, and critically evaluating children's books since its original publication in 1997. Now revised and updated, it remains an invaluable resource offering a fresh, up-to-date look at a fast-changing field.

All-new material includes:


An updated introduction that reflects the many changes in the children's book industry
A section on genres, including a discussion of graphic novels
A section on children's literature blogs
An introduction of two new major genre awards—the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal and the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award

And more than 90 percent of the books cited have been updated to more recent publications!

Genres: Nonfiction, Books About Books, Library Science, Reference, Adult, Education, Grad School

240 pages, Paperback

First published March 31, 1997

About the author

Kathleen T. Horning is the director of the Cooperative Children's Book Center of the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She was also a children's librarian at Madison Public Library for nine years.

Ms. Horning was the president of the Association for Library Service to Children of the American Library Association in 2007, as well as president of the United States Board on Books for Young People in 2003. She has chaired or served on a variety of children's book award committees, including the Américas Award, the Charlotte Zolotow Award, the John Newbery, USBBY's Hans Christian Andersen Award, the Coretta Scott King Award, the Mildred L. Batchelder Award, the ALA/ALSC's Notable Children's Books, and the NCTE Lee Bennett Hopkins Award committees, and she was selected to deliver the 2010 May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture.

Reviews

[Bethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where was this book when I was in library school? As much as "The Book Whisperer" guides teachers in the "how" and "why" of inspiring lifelong readers as children, this book details the "what" and "why". So much has changed in the production and quality of children's literature since I was a child, even in the 20+ years I have been in the educational field. Needing a professional book to finish our school's million word genre challenge, I recently picked this up. I was looking to polish my reviews for Goodreads, and help to articulate why I liked a book, and to improve my readers advisory. All language arts teachers should read this book, even if serious review work isn't in their futures. Understanding the characteristics of the different genres, what to look for in a quality book, even the science behind the eye muscles in the development of early readers are all interesting and beneficial topics. I especially enjoyed the poetry chapter, perhaps finding validation for hating it so much growing up - too much emphasis on structure and not enough on enjoyment!! The book also discusses the topic of a "third grade" book, a big worry that some students often tune out reading at this critical age.

Read Jan 2014, Jan 2015, Jan 2016, Feb 2017
Pick up something new each time I read this!

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Evaluating and reviewing children's books is something I do a lot. I could benefit from reading this book, I thought. I was disappointed to find that the first seven chapters are really just explanations of all the subgenres within children's literature, and that it is only the last chapter which actually hits on what the title purports to do. Even in the last chapter there was not a lot of new ideas for this long-time reviewer of children's books. Maybe it would be a better read for someone just starting out in this world.

[Agnė · Rating 3 out of 5]

I definitely agree with the blurb on the back cover, which claims that From Cover to Cover is "the definite guide to reading, reviewing, and critically evaluating children's books." It was used as a textbook in three of my graduate program classes!

Since it's written in an accessible language and covers the basics of children's literature (the publishing industry, the parts of a book, different categories and their history, main aspects, examples, and evaluation criteria), From Cover to Cover is a great resource for anyone new to the field of children's literature. But I'm sure even those who teach from or about, review, or purchase children's books on a regular basis would benefit from reading and rereading this insightful and practical handbook.

I only wish that some topics or categories were explored more deeply (graphic novel, for example), but I guess that's too much to ask of a relatively slim book that attempts to cover everything that children's literature has to offer. Oh, and the book gets a little bit dull if you actually attempt to read it from cover to cover, but it works great as a reference tool.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book for anyone who has a responsibility to reviewing and recommending books for children. I found it a great refresher of my graduate courses and the format of the book's presentation of the information was clear and concise. Highly recommended-

[Lindley Walter-smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

More two and a half stars. Not terribly useful - of a very slim volume, a lot was taken up with explaining the anatomy of books (ISBNS, end papers) and not enough, I felt, about the issues you would actually need to consider when evaluating books for collections or reviewing them. Also, some of the genre divisions and explanations seemed... a bit off. In general, the non-fiction sections seemd better than the fiction sections. It did make me nostalgic for a time (maybe that never existed) in which librariands had the lesiure to read multiple reviews to consider adding just one book, instead of hurriedly picking off lists or, more likely, outsourcing selection.

[Reading is my Escape · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting  
 
I read this book for my Information Needs of Children class. I loved the class and the professor. This book has some interesting information about how to evaluate children's books and the different needs kids have at different ages.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the children's lit course I took for my MLIS, the professor had us pore over popular review journals (Publisher's Weekly, Kirkus, SLJ, etc) and analyze the structure of the reviews in them. It was pretty fascinating to discover the patterns specific to each journal, and we eventually had to pick two journals and write reviews imitating the style. I remember writing one review for Ramona the Pest and one for The Snowman in the styles of Publisher's Weekly and Booklist respectively.

I really enjoyed the activity, but the professor could have also told us to read From Cover to Cover. And maybe also do the analyzing.

I read this in preparation for a seminar, and it was a solid refresher for evaluation techniques I learned in graduate school. Horning covers a lot of territory and proves that she really is the foremost expert in both the library field and the evaluation field.

This is an excellent refresher for librarians as it teaches the structure of professional reviews and how analysis should be tailored to both the type/genre of children's literature and the format.

Super glad I read this, and very much looking forward to putting its contents into action at the seminar.

[Danielle Routh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though I had expected this to be more of a discussion about the best children's lit than guidance in reviewing it, I still really enjoyed this and learned so much about the process of children's lit--and just how complex a seemingly simple genre can be! It is definitely more of a preface to reviewing since the majority of content is devoted to explaining each genre of children's lit, and only the final chapter deals specifically with writing reviews, but it is still an excellent (and engaging) resource for those who are invested in children's lit.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good intro to children's books. Some information within may be redundant to those already familiar with literary genres, tropes, and style. However, the background knowledge given is integral to understanding the advise in reviewing/evaluating given. A must-read for any librarian or teacher who regularly reads and recommends books to children or parents. Detailed examples make it easy to understand and the simple language ensures that it's not a slog to get through.

[Rachel Stine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book would be great for someone who hasn’t read or discussed children’s literature since they were a child, has no experience with kids and books, and/or someone who needs to learn about all the different genres and basic concepts that someone who works in children’s librarianship work with every day. Read it for class. Learned a few nuanced details. 6/10 would nor recommend unless you are completely lost and need to start from zero.

[Katie Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been reading this in preparation for the Morris Seminar next week. I learned so much about evaluating children’s books! I wish I had read this in grad school, and incredibly valuable read.

[Jae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super useful.

[Elliot · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must-read for anyone working with books and kids.

[Theresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

*sigh*

Okay, I get why this is required reading for prospective librarians, BUT in the year 2021 this is riddled with problematic language. It needs an update desperately.

[Stacey Mulholland]

I read this book to learn more about the publishing industry and book reviews.

[Tracy Poff · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book contains some useful advice on what to consider when evaluating children's books, and a wealth of references to worthwhile children's books, but it was fairly dull.

Too much time, I felt, was spent on tangential issues, such as details of publication, what are endpapers, what is the difference between a printing and an edition, and so forth. While of course it is useful to know the right terms to use when discussing a book, and some insight into the publishing process can be helpful, ultimately this feels like it takes up a disproportionate amount of space in what is a fairly short book.

My other major criticism is that the wealth of references to children's books, which I mentioned above, is both a strength and a weakness. For example, Horning spends some time discussing how the illustrations in a picture book should support and enhance the text, using Goodnight Moon as an example. For readers unfamiliar with that book, this discussion will be far less helpful. Not too big of an issue with such a very popular book, but many other, less well-known books are mentioned as good examples of a type, without a great deal of explanation why--it would be necessary to acquire and investigate each of these books to understand the points Horning makes.

From Cover to Cover is useful, but doesn't stand alone as a complete guide to evaluation and review of children's books.

[Barb Middleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m pretty clueless when it comes to blogging. This blog is meant to help me remember all the books I’ve read, get students excited about reading, and inform parents or teachers about books.

That said… Kathleen Horning’s book, From Cover to Cover: Evaluating and Reviewing Children’s Books, is not about blogging but it is about evaluating books in a professional way. What a great tool for helping me know what to look for when evaluating books, why books are written and categorized in certain ways, and how I can write in a way that is useful to my audience.

Chapters are divided by fiction, nonfiction, and picture books. The depth and history of publishing, as well as examples of excellent reviews and books, is extremely helpful to me as a teacher and librarian. I picked up information I didn’t know in every chapter and have referred to it when writing my most recent reviews for this blog.

At least that’s the gist of it. Now I just have to practice, practice, practice.

Great reference book.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far- clearly written, good info, some is a basic review but still helpful for writers who: like to read critically for their own art, or who: blog about and review books themselves. :)
Ch 4 Poetry, Verse, Rhymes and Song, and Ch 5 The Picture Book -both sections well done. Others also informative, though perhaps not as in depth. Perhaps because I write MG Fiction, and have spent more time studying it, I found the Fiction section a bit weaker. A picture book writer might say the same about the PB section. :) But the material was well and clearly laid out, and a great jumping off point. Definitely a helpful start if you are going to blog about or review books!

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

From Cover to Cover is an excellent resource for anyone who talks about, reviews or purchases children's books. It has clear and concise chapters on every type of children's book: nonfiction, poetry, chapter books, picture books, etc. While the subtitle states this book is about evaluating and review, the majority of the book is on evaluating books. Reviewing doesn't come in until the final chapter. Not that it is a bad thing. The information in the evaluating chapters is great. Horning goes into the history of the literature, the different parts, what you should look at and how to evaluate it. She even gives examples of excellent books in each genre. Great resource and very helpful.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

eaI am using this reference/information book for my Materials for Children class and I also used it in the Materials for Young Adults class as part of the GSLIS program at Dominican University (River Forest, Il.). An excellent resource for evaluating children's/young adult books, both fiction and non-fiction. Also, a great source for help in writing reviews of these books.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading this for my Materials, Literature and Collection Development for Children and Youth class. I'm marking it as read even though I've only looked at a few chapters for the course. But I did purchase this book so I'll be using it as a reference tool at my current librarian trainee jobs as well as once I've graduated from the library science program and have a librarian job.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think we read all the chapters for class...not in order...
Good book that goes over the different types of children's literature and how to evaluate them. Kind of seemed like common sense for me, but that might be from years of teaching and loving books. Will probably hand on to for reference.

[Dr. T Loves Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very accessible text to help readers understand the underlying elements of children's literature. Great for classroom teachers and children's librarians!

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haven't read it since its original publication (back when I was in Library School) and you all know it's time for a refresher :-)

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kathleen Horning's From Cover to Cover is a must read for anyone interested in the world of young people's literature.

Within the text, the author masterfully gives readers a historical context for various genres and formats within the world of Children's Literature and considerations for what one might look for when carefully reading and evaluating these books.

A perfect book anyone interested in writing reviews, of course, but also an incredible text for a college level children's literature course to help students develop a framework to not only evaluate text but also develop a greater appreciation for the craft of writing for young people and an expanded lens in which to discuss these stories deeply and passionately. Highly recommended!

[Murray · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is for those who are in Youth Services of a library or work with Children's literature. Ms. Horning breaks down the components of various forms of books for young readers: picture books, early reader, graphic novels, non-fiction, and children's fiction. She also includes a final chapter on how to write professional reviews. I read a of few of these chapters as graduate school requirements and found it interesting so I decided to buy the book. This book would have better served me as whole while I was in school, because most it is known knowledge to me now. A good source for those entering the Youth Services or Children's literature field.

[Michelle Boyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

PopSugar 2020 reading challenge #47

It is fair to say that I expected more from this book -- I wanted more about the "how" to evaluate but instead ended up with a lot of "this is what rhyme is" and "this is what predictability is" and entire sections about the different art styles one might see in picture books. I'm not saying this book isn't relevant for those interested in children's literature. I am saying, I expected something different based on the title (this happens a lot in academic books, I've noticed).

[Mary Beth Str8K · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a companion textbook for a Children's Lit class for LMS. I found this book informative and useful, especially when used in conjunction with the Vardell's Children Literature textbook. The chapter on writing a book review was helpful. The description of the various genres is simplistic, but in this day and age when books can cross genres, the definitions are helpful when combined with other textbook's definitions. This is a reference book, I'll be keeping.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for my YA Lit class so I am skeptical, despite promises from my professor to the contrary, that it will be particularly relevant. That being said, it was interesting to learn about the history of children’s books, and to start thinking of them both in a critical way, and as a useful learning tool for kids. I particularly enjoyed the last two chapters, which I can see having a broader applicability beyond children’s literature.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some helpful things to think about in this book, although there were also some overly basic things that I skimmed over. Sometimes the author seemed a bit smug and pretentious though, so maybe that was why I didn’t get super excited about it. Also, since this book was written before the internet was really a thing, I’d be curious to know what she would have to say about blogs and online reviews and how that has changed the culture of book reviewing.