The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature

Rating:
Summary: A Well Written Reference Work, mostly.
Review: This is a good book for fan's of Children's Literature, and it is definitely worth having, but it is not the absolute best. While reading this book keep in my mind that Carpenter puts in a great deal of his own opinion, and not what is neccesarily the general opinion in literary circles. (On a side note, it is my opinion that Carpenter's biography of Tolkien, a seperate book, is the difinitive Tolkien Bio and a must for all Tolkien fans.) But as I said in the title it is a well written work and worth having. So, if your favorite authors include C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Madeleine L'Engle, Beatrix Potter, E. Nesbit, George MacDonald and many more besides I would advise getting this book. For this same subject I also highly reccomend The Encylopedia of Fantasy and The Encylopedia of Sciene Fiction.