This book is a collection of essays, criticism, and statements of trends in the world of children's books intended for those concerned with the creation, distribution, and reading of children's books. Chapters 1 through 5 deal with the history of children's literature and basic issues, such as what makes a classic, what children read, how and why one writes for children, and the illustration of children's books. Chapters 6 through 9 discusses the major genres: folk literature, fantasy, poetry, fiction, history, and science. Chapter 10 presents a comprehensive study of children's literature in eight major foreign countries. Chapters 11 and 12 discuss the importance of criticism and the establishment of awards in children's literature, with lists of winners for seven major awards. Finally, each chapter is introduced by an essay which focuses the reader's attention upon the controversial issues, supplies background information, and frequently presents the views of authors who were not included in this volume. (Author/WR)