Much of the subject matter in Milton Meltzer's nearly one hundred titles--poverty, religion, crime, peace, discrimination, slavery--concerns injustices especially common to America. "As a nonfiction children's author, Milton Meltzer single-mindedly focuses upon the explication of lives devoted to the continuing struggle for human rights and social reform, effectively portraying the plights of downtrodden people oppressed by the results of acts perpetuated by man for political and economic gain," wrote Mary Ann Heffernan in Dictionary of Literary Biography. The American Library Association's Wilder Award committee honored this work with the 2001 Laura Ingalls Wilder Award for a career-long contribution to literature for children. The committee noted in its presentation: "Meltzer's substantial and lasting contribution to American literature for children spans five decades and continues to be a model for informational writing today. Over the years, children have read his books and expanded their knowledge of social issues and historical events...