Children's Literature Research Center
Welcome!
Collection Description
The Children’s Literature Research Center at California State University, Long Beach is a new space dedicated to the critical study and scholarly exploration of children’s books. Rooted in CSULB’s academic excellence and a commitment to diverse exploration, the Center supports research on the texts, illustrations, publishing history, and cultural impact of literature written for young readers.
From picture books and early readers to middle-grade, and young adult literature, the Center offers collections and space to support interdisciplinary inquiry into how children’s literature has changed over time, and how it reflects and challenges our world. With unique collections such as the Clyde and Kathleen Foss Toy and Movable Books, and a deep collection of Children's and YA books representing Queer perspectives (strongly supported by the Arnold T. Schwab Endowment), the collection also features strengths in fairy tales and folklore, and award winners. Wordless books, graphic novels, books in World Languages as well as newer literature with a special focus on cultural representation round out our collection. We aim to cultivate meaningful research that deepens our understanding of literary traditions aimed at youth.
Available to faculty, students, and visiting scholars, the Children’s Literature Research Center is a gateway to inspired study of one of the most influential literary forms.
Please also come visit our Storybook Dollhouse found on the 2nd floor, room 204, just outside of the CLRC, graciously donated by local artist Helen Cox.
Collections of the Children's Literature Research Center
See all of the items in the collection, Titles may be located in the Rare Collection, the Circulating Collection, or ORCA storage.
The CLRC contains these subcollections:
Using the Collection
- CSULB welcomes all users interested in Children's Literature.
- Children's Rare items are used for reference only and may not be checked out. Access to books that are in the Rare collection requires an appointment.
- Many of the titles have second copies in the circulating collection, which you can check out.
- The Children's Rare collection is intended for use by adults. Patrons are asked to keep kids away from the rare items.
- Please use only pencils, notebooks and laptops with the collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
The oldest original publication date is "Tom Thumb's play-book : to teach children their letters as soon as they can speak, being a new and pleasant method to allure little ones in the first principles of learning" in 1760. While our copy is a reprint (1960) it shows much about the history of children's literature.
The oldest printed item is Gold-seekers and bread-winners; or, "There's no place like home." By Franz Hoffmann. Translated by Annie Harwood.published in 1860.
Set up an appointment to use the collection by contacting Cathy Outten.
Originally constructed by Amy Sutton, this Real Good Toys 1769 Dollhouse has been completely restored and converted into a Storybook Dollhouse by local Long Beach artist Helen Cox featuring classic children’s literature in every room. With the exception of Alice, Helen Cox made all the characters in the tableaux. The most common medium used was oven-fired clay, but other materials include: wood (both carving and burning), fabric, artificial snow, crepe paper, and paint. The figurines and most of the sets were carefully hand-crafted over a period of a year and a half (2022–2023), and are designed to appeal to the imagination. Some of the furniture was crafted, like the special items in “Goodnight Moon,” but the fancy items in Scrooge’s bedroom and in “James and the Giant Peach” were generously donated by the original owner of the dollhouse.
The Storybook Dollhouse features tableaux from twenty classic children’s stories, based on original illustrations. The dollhouse was created to provide access to learning and literature to as many children as possible from diverse backgrounds. The dioramas are designed to inspire curiosity and reading among children and adults, as they have fun identifying the stories and exploring the ones they do not know. The Storybook Dollhouse helps bring stories alive and reflects a diverse population.
Stories featured include both picture books and chapter books. The stories encompass a time period from 1843 to 1989, and have been loved for generations. Below is a complete list of stories.
The house itself is 32" tall, 56" wide, and 28"deep. Originally manufactured by A Real Good Toys as the 1769 Dollhouse, Harborside Mansion with Conservatory, it had been left on a curb for the taking after having been stored in a garage for years. It was totally cleaned, repaired and reinforced. It sits on a stable platform and is professionally encased in clear acrylic to keep it dust free and to prevent damage.
Storybook Dollhouse, 2022 – 2024
Stories represented (with links to their OneSearch records):
Goodnight Moon, Margaret Wise Brown, 1947.
Pinocchio, Carlo Collodi, 1883.
James and the Giant Peach, Roald Dahl, 1961.
Peter’s Chair, Ezra Jack Keats, 1967.
Winnie the Pooh, A.A. Milne, 1926.
Frog and Toad, Arnold Lobel, 1970.
Harold and the Purple Crayon, Crockett Johnson, 1955.
Corduroy, Don Freeman, 1968.
Talking Eggs, Robert San Souci, 1989.
Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll, 1865.
Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens, 1843.
The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster, 1961.
In the Night Kitchen, Maurice Sendak, 1970.
The Snow Queen, Hans Christian Andersen, 1844.
Charlotte’s Web, E.B.White, 1952.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis, 1950.
The Tale of Two Bad Mice, Beatrix Potter, 1904.
The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy Winkle, Beatrix Potter, 1905.
The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher,Beatrix Potter, 1906.
The Tale of Jemima Puddle-duck, Beatrix Potter, 1908.
If you wish to donate items, please provide a list of titles and photographs of the items to Cathy Outten and they will be considered.
You can donate money to the collection either by using this portal and indicating in the text field that you are donating to the Children's Collection, or contacting Cathy Outten.
CSULB Childrens Literature Guides
Research Projects
The Center invites undergraduate and graduate students to participate in research activities, with the potential for publication of their findings. The Center is interested in collaboration with faculty and students to develop independent study projects that are mutually beneficial. Some potential topics of research could include:
- Representations of childhood and agency in contemporary children’s literature
- The role of illustration in shaping narrative meaning in picturebooks
- Diversity, inclusion, and representation of marginalized identities in children’s texts (especially LGBTQ+ identities)
- Adaptations of classic fairy tales in modern children’s literature
- Censorship and challenges to children’s books
- The changing use of fantasy and imagination in children's literature
- Perspectives in global children’s literature in differing time eras
- Gender roles and identity formation in young adult fiction
- Ecocriticism and environmental themes in children’s literature
- Historical evolution of children’s literature across cultures and time periods
- Moral and ethical development through narrative in children’s texts and its evolution over time
- The history and development of pop-up and movable books in children’s publishing
- Engineering and paper mechanics in pop-up books as a form of narrative design
- The relationship between interactivity and reader engagement in pop-up books
- Preservation and archival challenges associated with pop-up and movable books
Collection Development
The Children's Collection has been developed over the years with purchases as well as several significant donations. Many of these donated items are included in the Children's Literature Research Collection:
- Isabel Patterson Founding Collection
- Kaye Anderson Children's Books
- Priscilla Griffin Nonfiction Picture Books
- Cathy Outten Childrens and Young Adult Literature
These have donated 1000+ books.
These have donated 500-999 books.
- Catherine Ducharme Donation
- Gifts of the P. Victor Peterson Memorial
These have donated 100-499 books.
These are active endowments that contribute yearly to the collection:
Harmful Language Statement
The CSULB Library is committed to describing materials in ways that are respectful to all individuals and communities. Users of this special collection may encounter offensive or harmful language, images, or objects related to race, gender, sexuality, religion, or other identities. These terms and representations originate from the creators of the materials and are preserved to maintain the historical context in which the items were created.
CSULB Library recognizes that some archival descriptions and source materials contain language that is racist, sexist, homophobic, ableist, euphemistic, or otherwise harmful and dehumanizing. While such content does not reflect the values of the Library, it may remain present as part of the historical record.
