Editor's Note

When we accepted the articles for this issue of The Lion and the Unicorn, America was in a different frame of mind. War was remote, something children could read about in books such as Lowry's Number the Stars and Kerr's When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit. Tove Jansson was still alive. We note her passing in April 2001 and thank Reuben Sanchez for his insightful article. It was a world, at least for Americans, more in keeping with Richmal Crompton's William stories and the Jill pony stories of Ruby Ferguson. But since September 11, our world now contains daily references to war and reminders of the loss of life in the Pentagon and World Trade Center attacks. One bright note has been the release of the Harry Potter movie in November, but that month also brought the news of the death of Mitzi Myers, a longtime contributor to the field of children's literature.

...