Intended to increase the choices available for teachers and children in the classroom, this book helps teachers deal with the ever burgeoning field of children's books. The first section of the book presents 29 themes on a variety of subjects, such as cats, folklore, money and business, Native Americans, science fiction, sports, villains, and World War II, through which teachers can bring works of fiction and nonfiction to the attention of young readers. The following section presents summaries of 77 children's books and activities, things to talk about, and related books for each of the books. The next section of the book presents studies of more than 40 authors and illustrators whose major contributions have been to young children's literature--these studies include information about those people's lives, their works and awards, and, when possible, photographs and addresses where they can be reached. The last section presents annotated lists of books by categories, a calendar of birthdays of authors and illustrators, writing techniques, a list of publishers and their addresses, and an index. (RS)