Leonard S. Marcus – författare

"Leonard S. Marcus... has masterfully written about a fascinating woman who in her short life changed literature for the very young. I was throroughly enchanted."--Eric CarleNearly fifty years after her sudden death at the age of forty-two, Margaret Wise Brown remains a legend and an enigma. Author of Goodnight Moon, The Runaway Bunny, and dozens of other children''s classics, Brown all but invented the picture book as we know it today. Combining poetic instinct with a profound empathy for small children, she understood a child''s need for security, love, and a sense of being at home in the world. Yet, these were comforts that had eluded her. Her sparkling presence and her unparalleled success as a legendary children''s book author masked an insecurity that left her restless and vulnerable.In this authoritative and moving biography, Leonard S. Marcus, who had access to never-before-published letters and family papers, portrays Brown''s complex character and her tragic, seesaw life. Colorful, thoughtful, and insightful, Margaret Wise Brown is both a portrayal of a woman whose stories still speak to millions and a portrait of New York in the 1930s and 1940s, when the literary world blossomed and made history.

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR from The New York Times and Kirkus ReviewsFrom award-winning historian Leonard S. Marcus, Earthrise is a unique middle-grade nonfiction book about the astonishing photograph taken during the Apollo 8 mission that forever shifted the way we view ourselves and our planet.Gazing out the window of the Apollo 8 spacecraft on Christmas Eve, 1968, NASA astronaut Bill Anders grabbed his camera and snapped the iconic color photo of our planet rising over the lunar horizon. Not long after the crew's safe return, NASA developed Anders's film and released "e;Earthrise"e; to the world. It soon became one of the most viewed and consequential photographs in all of human history, inspiring the first Earth Day in 1970 and boosting the global environmental movement. In the decades since, this incredible photograph of our small yet beautiful, familiar yet strange, "e;blue marble"e; has moved billions to rethink their understanding of our home planet, and even their very idea of "e;home."e; A companion to Marcus's acclaimed Mr. Lincoln Sits for His Portrait-a unique biography of America's sixteenth president centered around one famous 1864 photo-Earthrise uses the same technique of exploring a key moment in US history through the lens of an iconic photograph. This rocket-paced, compact, and highly accessible nonfiction book includes a trove of black-and-white images and related materials throughout. This is perfect for elementary and middle school kids ages 10-14, or in grades 5 through 8, who love:* Outer space, astronauts, and STEM-related books* Fascinating dives into American history * Quick and engaging nonfiction reads

"This beautiful book reminds me that I was one of many whom Leo Lionni took by the hand, leading me into the world of writing and illustrating picture books."  — Micha Archer, author and illustrator of Wonder Walkers, Daniel Finds a Poem, and the forthcoming What's New, Daniel?"He had amazing breadth and depth, all on display in this volume." — Paula Scher, graphic designer and partner, Pentagram"Throughout Leo Leonni’s varied and eclectic work one can see his wit as well as his mid-century design sensibility; formal and geometric, but softened by his warmth and playfulness..." — Marc Rosenthal, New York Times bestselling illustrator"This first survey of Lionni’s legacy comes out in conjunction with a retrospective of his work at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Mass… Lionni had a rare ability to change shades — and retain his signature vibrancy — while moving, seemingly effortlessly, from one realm to another." — New York TimesThe first survey of Leo Lionni’s protean career as a graphic designer, children’s book creator, and fine artist.Between Worlds: The Art and Design of Leo Lionni opens at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, MA, on 18 November 2023. Leo Lionni (1910–1999) was a key figure of postwar visual culture, who believed that a smart, pithy design language could unite people across generations and cultural boundaries. He first achieved success in the field of graphic design, serving as the influential art director of Fortune magazine from 1948 to 1960 and personally executing such innovative designs as the catalogue for the Museum of Modern Art’s seminal photo exhibition The Family of Man. Then, in the 1960s, he embarked on an equally groundbreaking career in picture books, using torn-paper collages to illustrate modern animal fables such as Frederick and Swimmy, which are still beloved today. But even as his books won multiple Caldecott Honors, Lionni — who had begun as a painter — also maintained a fine art practice centered on his Parallel Botany, a richly imagined world of fanciful plants. This volume, the catalogue of a major exhibition at the Norman Rockwell Museum, is the first to present Lionni’s extraordinary career in the round. Written by leading scholars and with an introduction by the artist’s granddaughter, it is illustrated with abundant examples of his work, including many little-seen items from the Lionni family archives. Leo Lionni: Storyteller, Artist, Designer will be an important, and eye-opening, contribution to the history of art and design.

A fascinating, beautiful and definitive account of the life of esteemed artist Helen Oxenbury.Filled with insights that span Helen Oxenbury's life, from her early childhood through a unique career in children's books that began in 1964 and is still going strong today, here is an exquisitely designed and thoroughly entertaining celebration of one of the finest English illustrators of our time. Written by acclaimed author Leonard S. Marcus, Helen Oxenbury: A Life in Illustration is a keepsake that is sure to engage and delight everyone from scholars to art aficionados to the many children and adults who have grown up with Helen Oxenbury’s enchanting books.

A Wrinkle in Time was only the beginning: rediscover an American classic with all seven of its sequels in this deluxe, two-volume collector's edition boxed set.Here, for the first time, in a newly-prepared authoritative text, Madeleine L'Engle's iconic classic A Wrinkle in Time, one of the most beloved and influential novels for young readers ever written, is presented with all seven of its sequels--what L'Engle called the Kairos (or "cosmic time") novels--in a deluxe two-volume boxed set, complete with never-before-seen deleted passages from A Wrinkle in Time. L'Engle's unforgettable heroine, Meg Murry, must confront her fears and self-doubt to rescue her scientist father, who has been experimenting with mysterious tesseracts capable of bending the very fabric of space and time. Helping her are her little brother Charles Wallace and her friend Calvin O'Keefe, and a trio of strange supernatural visitors called Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who, and Mrs Which. But A Wrinkle in Time was only the beginning of the adventure. In A Wind in the Door, Meg and Calvin descend into the microverse to save Charles Wallace from beings called Echthroi, who are trying to erase existence. In A Swiftly Tilting Planet, when a madman threatens nuclear war, Charles Wallace must save the future by traveling into the past. And in Many Waters, Meg's twin brothers are accidentally transported back to the time of Noah's ark. The final four books center on Calvin and Meg's daughter Polly. In The Arm of the Starfish, Polly disappears, and Calvin's research assistant is implicated in her kidnapping. In Dragons in the Waters, Polly and her brother Charles are on a ship sailing to Venezuela when they help solve a murder connected to a stolen portrait of Simon Bolivar. Polly receives an education in different kinds of love in A House Like a Lotus. And in An Acceptable Time, Polly is lured through a tesseract by a friend who may be hoping to sacrifice Polly in order to save himself.LIBRARY OF AMERICA is an independent nonprofit cultural organization founded in 1979 to preserve our nation’s literary heritage by publishing, and keeping permanently in print, America’s best and most significant writing. The Library of America series includes more than 300 volumes to date, authoritative editions that average 1,000 pages in length, feature cloth covers, sewn bindings, and ribbon markers, and are printed on premium acid-free paper that will last for centuries.

Rediscover an American classic with this special deluxe edition of the Newbery Award–winning children’s series—starring the iconic time traveling heroine, Meg MurryThis Library of America volume presents Madeleine L’Engle’s iconic classic A Wrinkle in Time, one of the most beloved and influential novels for young readers ever written, in a newly-prepared authoritative text and, as a special feature, it includes never-before-seen deleted passages from the novel in an appendix. L’Engle’s unforgettable heroine, Meg Murry, must confront her fears and self-doubt to rescue her scientist father, who has been experimenting with mysterious tesseracts capable of bending the very fabric of space and time. Helping her are her little brother Charles Wallace and her friend Calvin O’Keefe, and a trio of strange supernatural visitors called Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which. But A Wrinkle in Time was only the beginning of the adventure. Seven other Kairos (“cosmic time”) novels followed, collected for the first time in a deluxe two volume collector's boxed set.This first volume gathers Wrinkle with three books that chronicle the continuing adventures of Meg and her siblings. In A Wind in the Door, Meg and Calvin descend into the microverse to save Charles Wallace from the Echthroi, evil beings who are trying to unname existence. When a madman threatens nuclear war in A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Charles Wallace must save the future by traveling into the past. And in Many Waters, Sandy and Dennys, Meg’s twin brothers, are accidentally transported back to the time of Noah’s ark.A companion volume gathers the final four Kairos Novels, the Polly O’Keefe quartet, in which Calvin and Meg’s daughter takes center stage.LIBRARY OF AMERICA is an independent nonprofit cultural organization founded in 1979 to preserve our nation’s literary heritage by publishing, and keeping permanently in print, America’s best and most significant writing. The Library of America series includes more than 300 volumes to date, authoritative editions that average 1,000 pages in length, feature cloth covers, sewn bindings, and ribbon markers, and are printed on premium acid-free paper that will last for centuries.