Children's Literature: Standing in the Shadow of Adults.

MINDERS of Make-Believe: Idealists, Entrepreneurs & the Shaping of American Children's Literature (Book); MARCUS, Leonard S., 1950-; HIDDEN Adult: Defining Children's Literature, The (Book); NODELMAN, Perry; FREE Within Ourselves: The Development of African American Children's Literature (Book); BISHOP, Rudine Sims; NONFICTION

This review analyzes three new texts about the history and meaning of children's literature: Leonard Marcus's Minders of Make-Believe: Idealists, Entrepreneurs, and the Shaping of American Children's Literature; Perry Nodelman's The Hidden Adult: Defining Children's Literature; and Rudine Sims Bishop's Free Within Ourselves: The Development of African American Children's Literature. Writing from their different locations in the fields of education (Bishop), English (Nodelman), and publishing and history (Marcus), each author provides a distinct map for following the decisions and consequences associated with producing literature for children. We consider how each reconstructs the adult shadow in literary publishing for children, how the authors' viewpoints intersect, and in what ways adults manage narratives to achieve implied and explicit aims for children's enjoyment, education, and responsibilities as future adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Reading Research Quarterly is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)