Tales for Little Rebels: A Collection of Radical Children's Literature - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0814757219 ISBN 13: 9780814757215

Publisher: NYU Press, 2010

Synopsis

In 1912, a revolutionary chick cries, “Strike down the wall!” and liberates itself from the “egg state.” In 1940, ostriches pull their heads out of the sand and unite to fight fascism. In 1972, Baby X grows up without a gender and is happy about it.
Rather than teaching children to obey authority, to conform, or to seek redemption through prayer, twentieth-century leftists encouraged children to question the authority of those in power. Tales for Little Rebels collects forty-three mostly out-of-print stories, poems, comic strips, primers, and other texts for children that embody this radical tradition. These pieces reflect the concerns of twentieth-century leftist movements, like peace, civil rights, gender equality, environmental responsibility, and the dignity of labor. They also address the means of achieving these ideals, including taking collective action, developing critical thinking skills, and harnessing the liberating power of the imagination.
Some of the authors and illustrators are familiar, including Lucille Clifton, Syd Hoff, Langston Hughes, Walt Kelly, Norma Klein, Munro Leaf, Julius Lester, Eve Merriam, Charlotte Pomerantz, Carl Sandburg, and Dr. Seuss. Others are relatively unknown today, but their work deserves to be remembered. (Each of the pieces includes an introduction and a biographical sketch of the author.) From the anti-advertising message of Johnny Get Your Money’s Worth (and Jane Too)! (1938) to the entertaining lessons in ecology provided by The Day They Parachuted Cats on Borneo (1971), and Sandburg’s mockery of war in Rootabaga Pigeons (1923), these pieces will thrill readers intrigued by politics and history—and anyone with a love of children’s literature, no matter what age.

About this title

About the Author:

Julia L. Mickenberg is Associate Professor of American Studies, University of Texas at Austin. She is the author of Learning from the Left: Children’s Literature, the Cold War, and Radical Politics in the United States.

Philip Nel is Professor of English and Director of Kansas State University’s Program in Children’s Literature. His most recent books are Tales for Little Rebels (NYU Press, 2008, co-edited with Julia Mickenberg), The Annotated Cat (2007), and Dr. Seuss: American Icon (2004).

Review:

"As an educator, I share the belief that all of the authors in this collection must also have held as truth: that children are indeed the future, and to bring about social change, one needs to begin by changing the hearts and minds of children... I believe lovers of social/political history and inquiring minds in general, [sic] would find this collection appealing." (Style Substance Soul)

"Mickenberg and Nel have done a real service in reclaiming these selections of children’s literature, some by such well known childrens book authors as Julius Lester and Dr. Seuss but many from writers whose reputations were made and works published on the barricades of the Left." (The Horn Book Inc.)

"A remarkable book. . . . The prose excerpts are fascinating; the illustrations are perfectly fabulous and, very often, really funny. . . . There is so much here, and something unique for everyone except sourpuss defenders of the status quo." (Paul Buhle Monthly Review)

"By introducing kids (and their parents) to a wide range of forgotten and overlooked texts addressing progressive themes, and by provoking a closer look at what the books we already own imply, Mickenberg and Nel have done parents and kids alike a truly important service." (The Texas Observer)

"The collection focuses on a fascinating combination of ideology and creativity introducing its readers to a multiplicity of ways didactic messages were presented to a childrens audience. This anthology is important for scholars of Russian literature because it shows the inherent elements of childrens literature that permits its use (and abuse) for ideological purposes." (Working Group for Study of Russian Children's Literature and Culture blog)

"Julia Mickenburg and Philip Nel have edited a collection of childrens literature that represents the left-wing-oriented, oppositional tradition in childrens literature in the United States. And a lovely collection it is!... Mickenburg and Nel have done all of us parents, activists, writersa service by providing examples of what has been done. The task remains to carry this forward." (Science & Society)

"Tales for Little Rebels is indeed a timely collection and one that serves as an excellent touchstone for future research into a & usable past for contemporary academics." (Children's Literature Association Quarterly)

"A ribald, witty, sometimes fun, sometimes thoughtful examination of a wide swath of too little-known literature." (www.schoollibrary.com)

"Tales for Little Rebels anthologizes 75 years of radical childrens literature. Its a rousing, relevant chronicle of teaching kids about social and environmental justice, civil rights, and their power to challenge the status quo." (Julie Hanus The Utne Reader)

"Children's literature with timeless philosophy for grown-ups." (Maria Popova Brainpicking)

About this edition

• Publisher: NYU Press
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0814757219
• ISBN 13: 9780814757215
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 313
• Editor: Mickenberg Julia L., Nel Philip