Pika - Canadian Children's Literature Database

Introduction

Pika who?

Hello, I'm Pika. I live in the Rockies and the Yukon and I'm very curious. I have soft fur and an aquiline profile. I love to munch on fresh young grass and bask in the sunshine, but I like children's literature best of all. The National Library of Canada asked me to create the Canadian Children's Literature Database -- Pika.

Pika what?

I had the opportunity to work with two organizations that promote reading: The Canadian Children's Book Centre and Communication-Jeunesse. These organizations added their wealth of information to the AMICUS database of the National Library of Canada.

Pika is a real treasure chest; in addition to the National Library of Canada's collection of 35 000 Canadian children's books, features from high-quality sources have been added:

• The National Library of Canada introduced a subject headings system for works of fiction in children's literature.
• Next, book summaries were added to the database. The summaries first appeared in Our Choice, published by The Canadian Children's Book Centre, and in Sélections, published annually by Communication-Jeunesse.

Pika how?

Thanks to Pika, you no longer have to search book lists, rummage through library shelves, or flit here and there to find a book on a specific topic. The Pika database is a search tool for Canadian children's literature designed to make life easier for bookworms and other creatures who love children's literature. Just visit Pika, type in a topic (subject heading), the year of publication and your choice of language and I will suggest the right books.

Pika now?

Pika was developed as a pilot project from 2002 until 2009. The subject headings for fiction are no longer updated.