Margaret K. McElderry and the Professional Matriarchy of Children's Books

AMATRIARCHYISDEFINED AS " a form of social organization in which the mother is recognized as the head of the family or tribe, descent and kinship being traced through the mother; government, rule, or domination by women " (Websterk New World Dictionary, 1995). Focusing on renowned editor Margaret K. McElderry, this article develops the idea of children's book publishing as a field dominated by strong, often subversive, matriarchal leaders who have advanced the status, and enhanced the quality, of juvenile literature through an intricate female kinship structure. The birth and development of a relatively new genre has required binding ties in the face of a powerful patriarchal business society that viewed children's literature as unimportant and unworthy of major investment or recognition. The values, codes, and consolidation of the profession are passed on in stories that serve the function of, and bear many resemblances to, family narrative. Quotes without citations are taken from two interviews, the first with Susan Cooper on May 5, 1995, and the second with Margaret K.