Lesbian and Gay Voices: An Annotated Bibliography and Guide to Literature for Children and Young Adults
- Book Review,
by Frances Ann Day
From School Library Journal
This much-needed, thorough guide should be a welcome addition for those librarians who have struggled for years to find positive, compassionate books to give support to les-bian and gay youth and children of lesbian/gay parents. Following a poignant foreword by Nancy Garden and the evalua-tion guidelines used for this bibliography, Day provides detailed, critical annotations for more than 275 recommended books, arranged in six categories: picture books, fiction, short stories, nonfiction, biography/autobiography, and adult/professional re-sources. The last chapter contains 16 profiles (with black-and-white photos) of authors who have made significant contributions to this field of literature. Two appendixes list a calendar of lesbian/gay events and resources, including hot lines, publications, and organizations; and title, author, and topic indexes are provided. There is one minor flaw: some sloppy editing has missed a few typos and at least one error in the Nancy Garden annotations, in which the infamous book burning is referred to as being in Kansas City, MO, in one place and in Kansas City, KS, in another. Still, this is an extraordinary compilation that belongs in every collection.Betty S. Evans, Southwest Missouri State University, Springfield Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
This is a welcome resource for teachers, parents, school administrators, and librarians who are seeking to provide sensitive and realistic portrayals of homosexuality to young people. Day, a retired grade-school teacher who has written several other books on multicultural literature and serves on the Advisory Board of the Center for Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults, has selected and annotated some 275 recommended books that feature both major and minor lesbian and gay characters. Thankfully, many of the titles remain in print, while others are cited because they are classics. Readers may be familiar with the controversial title Daddy's Roommate , but Day shows that there are many more titles with lesbian and gay themes.The entries are divided into six categories: "Picture Books," "Fiction," "Short Stories," "Nonfiction," "Biography and Autobiography," and "Books for Adults," listing titles for librarians, educators, and parents. Each entry offers bibliographic information, an age recommendation, and a relatively detailed annotation. There are also profiles of 16 authors from various ethnic and career backgrounds. Among them are noted children's and young adult literature expert Michael Cart and M. E. Kerr, author of the award-winning Night Kites . Profiles are accompanied by black-and-white photos, critiques of the authors' work as it relates to gay and lesbian themes, and short bibliographies of works for adults as well as for young people. Completing this worthy volume is a calendar of significant days; a list of hot lines, publications, videos, and organizations; and a general bibliography, all important in supporting the needs of gay youth. Title, author, and topic indexes are included. Day also provides a checklist for evaluating books with lesbian and gay content. Although the emphasis is on literature for children and young adults, Lesbian and Gay Voices provides information for readers of all ages. Recommended as a collection development and reader's advisory tool for school and public libraries. REVWR
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
The evaluation and selection of materials that depict gays and lesbians and that are intended for children and young adults has long been problematic....With this book, Day takes a major step toward filling this gap....Useful for all school, public, and academic libraries.Choice
Book Description
Librarians and educators have long recognized the power of literature to touch the hearts and minds of readers of all ages. Lesbian and Gay Voices celebrates an exciting body of work that is emerging in the field of literature for young readers. Though more than three million lesbian and gay teenagers live in the United States, and millions more young people live with gay or lesbian family members, their diverse voices are often neglected. One way to provide help for these youngsters who often experience isolation and despair is to share compassionate books that deal honestly with the very issues with which young people themselves are grappling. Here at last is a unique and comprehensive reference tool to fill that need. Written to support librarians and educators in their efforts to provide young people with positive literary images, this groundbreaking guide provides detailed annotations and recommendations for over 275 books.
About the Author
Frances Ann Day is the author of Multicultural Voices in Contemporary Literature (Heinemann, 1994 1999) and Latina and Latino Voices in Literature for Children and Teenagers (Heinemann, 1997).
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