From New York to Beijing to Bratislava to Mexico City, the illustrated children’s book has become a vibrant global enterprise. In this illustrated talk, Leonard S. Marcus leads a wide-ranging pictorial tour of the landmark books for young people that have defined the children’s picture book for over two centuries and of the cultural trends and new technologies that have fueled the explosive growth of this deceptively simple art form.

Leonard S. Marcus is an internationally acclaimed historian whose pathfinding writings and exhibitions have earned him acclaim as one of the world’s preeminent authorities on children’s books and the people who create them.

The exhibitions and programs of the NIU Art Museum are sponsored in part by the Illinois Arts Council Agency, the Friends of the NIU Art Museum, the NIU Arts and Culture Fee; and the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ Season Presenting Sponsor Shaw Media. Additional funding for the programs related to our fall 2022 shows came from the Barbara Cole Peters Fund for the NIU Art Museum; Friends of the University Libraries, Friends of the DeKalb and Sycamore Public Libraries; NIU Gender and Sexuality Resource Center; and the NIU College of Education.