The book illustrates that reputations are made, not born, and many cultural mediators are at work in the marketplace of children's literature.

Lundin examines the circumstances out of which the canon emerges, and its effect on the production of children's literature. The volume includes a comprehensive list of canonical titles for reference.

What were the political uses of such cultivated space in cultural validation? The volume explores the institutional investment of librarians and scholars in canon formation.