| The purpose of this study was to examine the content of children's picture story book reviews published in periodicals used by librarians in the selection of picture story books for preschool and primary grade children to determine the extent to which the reviews included descriptive and evaluative information about the text and the illustrations. Chosen for analysis because of their widespread use were Booklist, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, The Horn Book Magazine, and School Library Journal.;For the study 625 reviews appearing in the four periodicals during the year 1981 were examined. The findings included the following: (1) reviews usually included a plot summary, a description of the characters, and a general descriptive statement about the illustrations; (2) less than half of the reviews included descriptive statements about the format, the theme, and specific artistic and graphic techniques and materials used to help tell the story; (3) seldom did reviewers indicate point of view or compare the book with other books by the author or illustrator; (4) evaluative statements were found much less frequently than descriptive statements; (5) an evaluative statement about the total artistic effect was found in about 65 percent of the reviews; (6) information about the other criteria was found in less than one-third of the reviews; (7) the journals did not vary significantly in the inclusion of descriptive and evaluative information.;Analysis was based on criteria considered important by children's literature authorities and useful by librarians in the selection of children's picture story books. An instrument was designed to assess inclusion of descriptive and evaluative statements about setting, plot, characterization, theme, point of view, style of writing, art medium, artistic style, color(s), color value, format, total artistic effect, comparison with other books by the author, and comparison with other books by the illustrator. |
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