The Black Book of Secrets, Higgins (Y)
Dark and atmospheric at the same time it is set in a slightly silly Dickensian city vs countryside. Not a jump-off-the shelves book, but I can certainly think of some young people who would like it. Three stars.

Town Boy, Lat
Sequel to Kampung Boy, and again it is entirely delightful. The pictures are perfectly expressive, and I can see why Indonesians are so proud of his work. Four stars.

Golden Legacy: How Golden Books Won Children’s Hearts, Changed Publishing Forever, and Became an American Icon Along the Way, Marcus
Once upon a time, a printing company went into book printing to make money year round. They started publishing so that they could best utilize their presses. They sold the books at a low price to people who didn’t usually buy books at stores that didn’t usually sell books. The publishing side employed excellent artists at incredibly low rates and denied them royalties because these artists’ only other option was to go home to countries ravaged by the Nazis. Book topics were chosen to fit into a unified display at the Woolworth’s store. Media tie ins were standard, in fact Golden was the first to do really well with Disney properties. Oh, and J. Fred Muggs, too, at least before he bit someone on national television. Blatant advertising to children within the book itself was perhaps a first: a book about children using bandages was packaged with Band-Aids and sold in a display with boxes of Band-Aids. And they treated Richard Scarry like dirt. This uncritical corporate biography can’t hide the horrifying underbelly (or perhaps belly exposed to the world) of Golden Books. Ugh. The pictures are really nice, though. Two stars.