Educational reforms and increased federal funding for education programs from the late 1950s and early 1960s spurred publishers to increase their output of nonfiction books for children. An increased interest in children's literature as a viable tool for classroom activities can be seen through the lives and works of these American writers, who take the task of communication with children seriously. American writing for children from 1960 to the present, especially poetry, picture books and nonfiction, reflects a healthy respect for the mind of the child. The major writers, illustrators and writer-illustrators from the period are represented in DLB Volume 61.
32 entries include: Tomie dePaola, Leonard Everett Fisher, Genevieve Foster, Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss), Nancy Larrick, David Macaulay, Milton Meltzer, Myra Cohn Livingston, Eve Merriam, Richard Scarry, William Steig and Chris Van Allsburg.