'œA companion volume to the coauthors' Dictionary of American Children's Fiction 1859-1959 [RBB Mr 15 86], Dictionary of American Children's Fiction 1960-1984 [RBB Mr 15 87], and Dictionary of British Children's Fiction [RBB N 15 89], this work treats 263 books by 164 twentieth-century authors from Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, and selected African countries that publish books for young people in English. Helbig is professor of English language and literature at Eastern Michigan University, and Perkins is professor emerita at the same institution. The 726 alphabetically arranged entries cover such elements as titles, authors, characters, settings, and special motifs. In addition to bibliographic information, title entries contain a plot summary, a brief critical evaluation, names of sequels, and awards and citations. When a book has a different title in an American edition, the fullest entry appears under the original title with a cross-reference from the American one. Author entries consist of date and place of birth (and death), education and vocational background, major contributions to children's literature, significant factors of the author's life that might have bearing on the work, and titles that won awards. Character entries "include physical and personality traits for important, memorable, or particularly unusual characters." Books chosen for inclusion are those that have been recognized as outstanding by associations and award committees (e.

g., Canadian Library Association, Children's Book Trust of India, Children's Literature Association of Nigeria, International Board on Books for Young People, New Zealand Government Publishing Awards). Because fiction is highlighted and not illustrations, stories in picture-book form are not included. At the back of the volume are a list of books and authors by country and a list of books classified by awards. The index contains all items for which there are entries, plus major characters for whom there are no separate entries, specific place settings, settings by period, authors' pseudonyms, and genres. This volume offers comprehensive coverage and should be of value to researchers, librarians, and teachers who work with children's literature.'' Booklist.