What should children read? As children's literature authority Leonard S. Marcus shows, that question created a rambunctious children's book publishing scene in colonial times, and went on to fuel the transformation of twentieth-century children's book publishing from genteel backwater to big business. Marcus delivers a provocative look at the fierce turf wars fought among pioneering editors, progressive educators, and librarians throughout the twentieth century. His story of the emergence, growth, and impact of the major publishing houses gains dramatic depth (and occasional dish) through the author's pathfinding research and in-depth interviews with dozens of editors, artists, and other key publishing figures whose careers go back to the 1930s. From The New England Primer to The Chocolate War, Marcus offers a witty analysis of the pivotal books that transformed children's book publishing, and brings alive the revealing synergy between books like these and the national mood of their times.--From publisher description.