One of the best recent overviews of German children's literature, Geschichte der deutschen Kinder-und Jugendliteratur is both well-written and concise (and the authors of the different epochs are all well-known and respected academics). The chapter on German girls' literature, as well as the following chapters on children's literature in the Weimar Republic, the Nazi era and German children's literature by exiled authors are especially good. The book even has a section detailing and describing children's literature of the former GDR (German Democratic Republic -- aka East Germany). This is a great book and one that, while decidedly academic, is written in a style not too difficult and involved (in other words, you do not require a PhD in German literature or philosophy to understand what is being written). ( )