Near my house is a wonderful children's bookstore called Linden Tree. What started as a one-room source for children's music tapes has blossomed into a store offering 50,000 children's books, author visits, storytellers, book-related toys AND children's tapes and CDs.
Every time I cross the threshold of this store on the corner of State and Third in Los Altos, I'm transported back to every bookstore and library and comfy reading corner I've known and loved. The smell of new paper, bindery glue and cellophane covers which seems to waft from any collection of books evokes images in my mind of my favorite reading experiences ranging over the broad territory which is the genres of children's literature.
At Linden Tree I know I will find my favorite traditional fantasy, The Rough-faced Girl, my favorite modern fantasy, The Indian in the Cupboard, the historical fiction I loved as a pre-teen--The Loon Feather, the moving story of Julie of the Wolves in the Contemporary Realistic Fiction genre, Shel Silverstein's Where the Sidewalk Ends, poetry, any of the Informational Eyewittness books, now for adults and children, and the Biography of Julia Morgan I gave to my architecture-loving daughter, and all the hundreds of wonderful picture books I want to add to my collection.
These books define the boundaries of children's literature and you will be delighted to explore the characteristics of each genre since you'll gain a greater understanding and appreciation of the complex world of children's literature.