For Introduction to Children's Literature courses. Based on the assumption that a children's literature course should focus on children's literature, this compact, conversationally-written text offers an overview of children's literature genres, guidelines for using children's books with a diverse population of young readers, and four highly-personal book lists for each genre chapter: 1) the authors' ten favorite titles; 2) the authors' "second choices"; 3) ten easier-to-read titles ideal for struggling readers; and 4) ten picture books, many of which are appropriate for readers in upper elementary grades. An interactive database on an included CD-ROM lists more than 15,000 titles searchable by author, title, illustrator, publisher, copyright, grade level, genre, topics, description, awards, or user comments.