Discovering Children’s Books is a free online resource that explores the history and variety of children’s literature. Designed for teachers, children and anyone interested in children’s books, the items in the collection provide a fascinating insight in to the work of authors and illustrators past and present, as well as lots of inspiration for the authors of tomorrow.

The material has been curated around 14 main themes such as Journeys, School Stories, Magic and Fantasy and Talking Animals. Within each theme you will find a range of content that teachers can use in the classroom:

• Go Deeper articles written by authors, illustrators and other children’s book experts that explore the theme in more detail.
• Booklists of recommended titles, ranging from classics to modern picture books. Each book comes with links to additional background material such as images from the text, information about the author, or pictures of early drafts.
• Ideas for creative book-related and writing activities.
• Interviews with top authors and illustrators, and video masterclasses to inspire children’s own creativity.

Cost: Access to all the online resources is free, but please read the Access and Reuse Guidance Notes provided on the website.

About the British Library: The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Its collection holds over 170 million artefacts from every age of written civilisation, with around three million new printed and digital publications added to the archive every year.