ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the impact of Eleanor Graham, editor, author and reviewer of children’s literature. Graham was one of the most influential figures in twentieth-century children’s publishing and the chapter examines her early life and how it shaped her beliefs about the importance of good books for young readers. Although she is best remembered for her role as founding editor of the Puffin Story Book series, her work was spread across many other spheres, not least as an author of several children’s books herself. This chapter explores the publication process behind her best-known work, The Children Who Lived in a Barn, and examines the way in which many of her core beliefs about what constituted a ‘good book’ for children were evident in her own writing.
