A study of significant American authors for children in the first half of the twentieth century would be incomplete without writer-illustrator Robert Lawson, the creator of Ben and Me and Rabbit Hill. Lawson remains the only person to receive both the Caldecott Medal (in 1941 for They Were Strong and Good) and the Newbery Medal (in 1945 for Rabbit Hill). Although he has been dead for a quarter-century, his books still capture the imagination of children, especially those of intermediate ages (grades four through six). Teachers and librarians know that history will truly live for students who encounter Ben Franklin through his mouse Amos or learn about the discovery of America through the scathing wit of the parrot belonging to Lawson's woeful Christopher Columbus. Lawson, highly regarded as a meticulous craftsman and etcher before he turned to illustrating children's books, proved a versatile artist and able writer skilled with the...