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.