Children's Literature: Intro

Search by title and author

Many of you will find books by using the internet. When you find a book you like, type in the name of the book and the last name of of the author in the search box on the library homepage to see if TCU owns the book. 

Then find the book on the shelf by using the call number.

Browse by topic

Here is how you browse for children's books at the TCU Library:

1. Start at the TCU Library homepage.
2. Find the tab that says "Library Catalog" and click on the "Search" button. You do not need to enter any words in the search box.
3. In the next screen, find the "Advanced Search" option.
4. Below the search boxes on this screen, you will see a dropdown menu labeled "Collection." Choose "Juvenile Collection" to find children's books and young adult books at the TCU Library.
5. This is a small collection. Keep your search words simple, use only one or two words in your search.
6. Use the word "fiction" in your search to find storybooks. For example: dogs AND fiction
7. Use the call number (usually starts with JUV PZ.....) to find the book on the shelf. The juvenile books are located on the first floor, on the west (University Dr.) side of the building. 

Search tips

Consider Synonyms

When considering your topic, think about synonyms -- other words to try. For example, if your topic is "environmentalism," what other words can you use? 

Ideas:

• trees

• animals

• water

• oceans

• forests

• pollution

• sustainability

• trash

Think about what words a child might use to find this information.

Search for Books With Illustrations

Our Juvenile Collection also contains young adult books, and most of them do not have pictures. To find children's books specifically, search for books with illustrations. "Ill." is the abbreviation used in our library catalog to notate that a book contains illustrations. To find picture books specifically, include "ill." as a term in your search. For example: Pollution AND "ill."

Remember to Reset the "Collection" option to "Juvenile Collection"

The search form resets itself every time you do a search. Remember to change the "Collection" back to "Juvenile Collection" or you will get too many irrelevant results.