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 when?

This first phase of PIKA will continue to expand over the years. The next phases will offer more content for all book seekers, great and small, furry or not …

It's as easy as PIKA!