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Building on the work of her foremothers, Effie Lee Morris modeled professionalism and human-centered children's librarianship in a practice concerned with accurate representation in books for children of all cultures and abilities. She put this practice to work at the Cleveland Public Library, the New York Public Library, and the San Francisco Public Library (SFPL), where she eventually resigned, calling the system racist. Her work in San Francisco is analyzed in staff meeting minutes and government documents using a Critical Race Theory lens to show how she pushed against white supremacist culture by advocating for children of color, while also encountering the emotional toll this type of work can cause. Reflecting on her time at SFPL, Morris gives advice for young librarians to practice self-care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the interest of novelist and short story writer Nathaniel Hawthorne in burial rites and the mourning practice of generations. The keen eye of Hawthorne for grief-stricken parents and ear for the ritual of comfort is about to flower as he released his first children's books in the early 1840s. The on-the-spot observation of Hawthorn of parents that witness the burial of their child predicts how the interruptive moment would form "Biographical Stories for Children."

The article discusses historiographical approaches to studying the history of children's reading habits in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It describes the establishment of children's publishing companies, children's libraries, and the rise of reading habits among children and explores ways historians can find and analyze evidence. The use of children's diaries, common readers, and educational curricula are discussed as potential sources for understanding children's reading habits from the period. Other subjects under discussion include public libraries, the Boy and Girl Scouts, and the records of librarians.