The Soviet Union in literature for children and young adults : an annotated bibliography of English-language books /

Povsic is an authority on children's literature of East Europe and this reference is the companion volume to her similar bibliography, Eastern Europe in Children's Literature (CH, Jan'87). It is a comprehensive bibliography of books written in English for children and adolescents (lower high school) published from 1900 to 1990. The 536 critical annotations, with bibliographic details and grade levels, are grouped into sections for five major geographic and political areas and further subdivided into traditional literature, biography and autobiography, historical fiction, and other fiction or a combination thereof. In the introduction Povsic discusses briefly the geographic composition of the Soviet Union and its various republics and their corresponding literature. There are three separate indexes: author, translator, and illustrator; title; and subject. The Soviet Union may be undergoing a political transformation but its rich literature will endure. Recommended for public libraries and academic libraries supporting children's literature programs.-T. M. Racz, Eastern Michigan University

The classic Russian literature for young people provides a rich variety of experiences. Now, with all the changes in the Soviet republics, interest in this region has grown. Thus, this in-depth annotated bibliography of English-language books about the Soviet Union is a valuable reference for youth librarians. Coverage includes 536 books published form 1900 to 1990. They were either written in English or translated into English, usually from Russian. Literature includes folktales (single works and collections), biographies of Soviets and Soviet Americans, and historical and contemporary fiction about Soviets and Soviet Americans. Annotations for each work include plot summaries, literary analysis, evaluation of illustrations, and mention of awards. Imprints note appropriate grade levels. Entries are grouped by major geographic and political regions (some of which are now separate countries--Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) and further divided into genre. Entries for Russia far outnumber those for other regions. Two other features strengthen this bibliography. The introduction discusses the peoples of each region and their literary history. The indexes help access the entries by title, subject, and author, illustrator, or translator. Because the same folk characters or motifs appear in several collections or monographs, an index connecting them would have been handy; the subject index does not accomplish this task. The subject index is helpful in finding books on Jews, Tatars, Mennonites, and other minority groups. The editor appears to have included all the standard collections; she lists all her many sources. The annotations are clear and detailed. Unfortunately, many of the titles listed are out of print, butfor the school or public librarian who is willing to do the extra work to obtain books on an area that is in the news daily, this bibliography is a convenient guide. (Reviewed Jan. 15, 1992)