What books did you love as a child? On October 1, 2008 at the Plaza Branch, children’s book historian Leonard S. Marcus discussed his most recent book, Minders of Make-Believe: Idealists, Entrepreneurs, and the Shaping of American Children's Literature. Explore some of his work about children’s books, learn more about children’s literature, or check out a few classic Little Golden Books.

Books by Leonard S. Marcus | Children’s Literature & Publishing |
Classic Little Golden Books for Kids

Books by Leonard S. Marcus

Minders of Make-Believe: Idealists, Entrepreneurs, and the Shaping of American Children's Literature
By Leonard S. Marcus
Marcus offers this animated history of the visionaries--editors, illustrators, and others--whose books have transformed American childhood and American culture.

Golden Legacy: How Golden Books Won Children's Hearts, Changed Publishing Forever, and Became an American Icon along the Way
By Leonard S. Marcus
The year 2007 marks the 65th anniversary of a bold experiment: the launch of the Little Golden Books during the dark days of World War II. In this lively history, Marcus reveals how Golden Books have won children's hearts, have changed publishing forever, and have become an American icon along the way.

Side by Side: Five Favorite Picture-Book Teams Go To Work
By Leonard S. Marcus
Side by Side focuses on five famous author/illustrator teams and favorite books they have published. Personal anecdotes, edited manuscripts, sketches, and dummy book pages show the give-and-take that goes on between authors, illustrators, editors, and designers as they are working on projects they feel passionate about.

A Caldecott Celebration: Six Artists and Their Paths to the Caldecott Medal
By Leonard S. Marcus
This book profiles six Caldecott award-winning books and their authors, including Robert McCloskey's Make Way for Ducklings, Marcia Brown's Cinderella, Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are, William Steig's Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, Chris Van Allsburg's Jumanji, and David Wiesner's Tuesday.

Find more books by Leonard S. Marcus in the library.

Children’s Literature & Publishing

From Mother Goose to Dr. Seuss: Children's Book Covers, 1880-1960
By Harold Darling
The covers of children's books dazzle readers with art, enchantment, and boldly creative designs. This is especially true of books created during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, what could be called the golden age of children's book publishing. During this time, advances in printing and more eclectic tastes made for the most colorful and daring books of all. Now this treasury of children's book covers from the late 1800s to the mid-1900s reviews the full parade of the era's cover art, from brilliantly illustrated fairy tales to early edition favorites and classics.

Dr. Seuss: American Icon
By Philip Nel
This book celebrates one of the most influential authors and artists of the 20th century: Theodor Seuss Geisel, best known as 'Dr. Seuss. Dr Seuss's ascendance from children's author to American icon confirms that his cultural significance rests not just with the beginning reader, but with the scholar, the artist, and the poet.

Edward Stratemeyer and the Stratemeyer Syndicate
By Deidre Johnson
Carolyn Keene, Laura Lee Hope, Franklin W. Dixon...these names are synonymous with some of the best-loved books of any American child: the Nancy Drew, Bobbsey Twins, and Hardy Boys series. Yet these names are as much fiction as are the books on which their names appear, because those books - and hundreds more - are actually the brain child of one Edward Stratemeyer.

Classic Little Golden Books for Kids

The Shy Little Kitten
By Cathleen Schurr
One beautiful day, a shy little kitten embarks on a journey filled with adventure. In the course of her wanderings, she meets an interesting and often amusing collection of fellow creatures.

The Poky Little Puppy
By Janette Sebring Lowrey
One of the original 12 Little Golden Books, The Poky Little Puppy has sold nearly 15 million copies since 1942, making it one of the most popular children's books of all time.

Scuffy the Tugboat and His Adventures Down the River
By Gertrude Crampton
Meant for "bigger things," Scuffy the Tugboat sets off to explore the world. But on his daring adventure Scuffy realizes that home is where he'd rather be, sailing in his bathtub.

Book descriptions provided by BookLetters.