Maryland State Library Resource Center

Enoch Pratt Free Library

Children's Department - Maryland State Library Resource Center

Children’s Department

Children's DepartmentThe Children's Department serves children from birth through age 12, their caregivers, teachers, and members of the general public interested in children's literature. The collection covers the entire range of subjects of the larger Pratt collection and has over 70,000 items including books, audio books and music. The collection is particularly rich in juvenile fiction and picture books. We also present weekly programs for babies, toddlers, preschoolers and the caregivers of these children. Call A Storytime Anytime (410-396-8396) 24 hours a day to hear a children's story read in English or Spanish.

Collections of Note

  • An extensive non circulating collection of historic children's materials including pre-1930 reference books, first editions, illustrated books and an excellent selection of pop-up books.
  • A large collection of folk and fairy tales, including multiple illustrated and narrative interpretations of titles, that is useful to  parents, caregivers, and other practitioners of the art of storytelling.
  • A retrospective fiction collection dating back to 1930 that contains out-of-print authors and many titles unavailable in the rest of the state.
  • Extensive resources for Maryland students of  education and children's literature, including one of the few complete sets of the multi-volume Children’s Literature Review in the state.
  • Hard-to-find items in support of homeschool curricula.

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