Tales for Little Rebels: A Collection of Radical Children's Literature [Hardcover]

Julia Mickenberg (Editor), Philip Nel (Editor), Jack Zipes (Editor)

Book Description

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

One of the "Noteworthy Paperbacks"-The Indiana Gazette,

"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,

One of the "Best in Paperbacks."-Times Herald-Record Sunday,

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

"While is clearly intended as a textbook for a college course on this subject, the variety within this anthology should suggest it is well worth extended investigation. We may even begin questioning the degree of propaganda that surrounds our daily life as adults and realize such story-telling is no longer limited only to the realm of childhood."-American Communist History,

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).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 313 pages
• Publisher: NYU Press; First Edition edition (November 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814757200
• ISBN-13: 978-0814757208
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #946,134 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Philip Nel likes to read books. He also likes to write books. If you buy his books, then he will be able to write more books. So, please: Give generously. Thank you.

Top ten interesting facts about Philip Nel:
1) His favorite Muppet is Animal.

2) The very first book he read all by himself was Dr. Seuss's Green Eggs and Ham.

3) In first grade, his favorite book was Jeff Brown's Flat Stanley. He briefly thought he could become two-dimensional, just like Flat Stanley. (He was wrong.) For more details, see Anita Silvey's Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Children's Book.

4) He thinks you should read all of Lane Smith's books. They are funny. Very, very funny. They will make you a better person -- or at least a happier one. Why not start with The Happy Hocky Family?

5) Because he cares about the quality of your personal library, he hopes you know that it (the library) would be incomplete without Crockett Johnson's Harold and the Purple Crayon, and Ruth Krauss's The Carrot Seed.

6) His favorite band is They Might Be Giants.

7) Despite the fact that formal education held little interest for him until he went to college, he managed to become a university professor. I know, I know -- he's as surprised as you are. Believe me.

8) In fact, he directs the Graduate Program in Children's Literature at Kansas State University. Yep. True story.

9) No, really -- he does! See, here's the website:
http://www.k-state.edu/english/programs/childlit/

10) He also has his own website. It may or may not be interesting:
http://www.k-state.edu/english/nelp/

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful in Every Way! This book is a WOW that you will want to read and keep!, September 24, 2008

By 

javajunki "javajunki" - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Tales for Little Rebels: A Collection of Radical Children's Literature (Hardcover)

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This is SUCH a neat book - I barely know where to begin to describe how unique and fun it is to read. First of all, it is unlike anything else I've come across on the subject of children's books; a great blend of history, text book and literature it is as educational as it is fascinating.

First a few comments - I've never given much thought to the topic and those with more than a passing interest may find some of the information rudimentary. However, there is a good balance between "background info" and the stories themselves. If you have a strong interest in this topic then here is a great collection of what must surely be hard to find stories that represent foundatonal examples. If you are like myself with a limited background on the topic then the additional material is helpful - and the stories are simply fascinating.

The authors do a great job of providing a brief background on the author, era and environment of the original writing then the story itself is reproduced. The version of the book I'm reading is an uncorrected proof so the text/other isn't much to go on at this point but they have also taken steps to reproduce some of the original sketches along with the story which is a nice touch to give the full impact of the original.

Another aspect of the book that I really enjoy is the variety of subjects included...from basic primers to more advanced levels these present a diverse look at how childrens literature and learning presents agenda's ranging from science to socialism. As you might expect, religion plays a significant role in some of the oldest examples but perhaps the most stunning examples are those concerning politics. Examples like "The Story of your Coat" and "The Socialist Primer" are simply fascinating.

Finally, the authors provide excellent notes and additional information for those interested in pursuing additional reading on the subject.

Who Will Love this Book...
Those interested in history, politics or religion.
Those interested in education.
Those interested in literature and how it shapes the world around us.
Those with children who want to further their understanding of how the minds of their own children are being shaped.
Academics - teachers and college students.
Anyone with an interest in unique literature.

A delightful, unique and utterly wonderful addition to my library! GREAT job on this book.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Written By ---REBELS---WITH---A---CAUSE---, October 8, 2008

By 

Alex Honda "onyx575" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tales for Little Rebels: A Collection of Radical Children's Literature (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

TALES FOR LITTLE REBELS: A COLLECTION OF RADICAL CHILDREN'S LITERATURE took me by surprise, twice. At first, I thought the book was going to be filled with funny cartoons and stuff like that...but when I got it, it was knee-deep with analysis. Thinking I made a mistake, and flashing back on my college years, I begrudgingly forced myself to start reading.

And what I found was my second surprise: it was interesting! Yes there was some semiotics involved, but the editors Julia L. Mickenberg and Philip Nel did an excellent job of compiling the book and explaining things in simple to understand language.

It's broken down by themes, i.e. rebellion, organization, justice etc., and each theme has an introduction that helps the reader understand what was going on at the time when these stories were published. This is followed by information regarding the author and illustrator of the piece (if known), followed by the actual story.

All of the works are from the 20th century and many are taken from Socialist, Marxist and Communist papers or books. Likewise, many of the writers and illustrators were part of either the Communist or Socialist movements and many turned to children's stories because those stories weren't heavily scrutinized by the censors. And for many it was the only job they could find after being blacklisted during the McCarthy era.

The editors did a fair job in presenting the reasons many of these authors and illustrators/artists turned to Socialism etc. because of a reaction toward unfair labor practices and living conditions that affected adults and children alike.

Stories consist of either cartoons, comics, text-only stories, and stories with photos (that seemed to be from school books), and were taken from a variety of sources, so there's a pretty broad mix here. And some stories are quite obvious in their propagandist tone, while others are very subtle.

There are also stories about the environment, race relations, gender equality and peace.

Would I recommend this book to kids? Not necessarily. But I would suggest that parents get it, read it, and then read the stories to their children. As the editors pointed out in the introduction that the purpose for collecting and re-printing many of these stories is not to influence young minds to either side of the coin, but to help them begin to critically analyze the world around them.

With so much going on in our world today, young people could use all the help they can get.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We All Need to be Rebels, September 25, 2008

By 

deeper waters (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tales for Little Rebels: A Collection of Radical Children's Literature (Hardcover)

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Understanding "radical" as wanting "to explore the essence of phenomena, experiences, actions and social relations to enable young people to grasp the basic conditions in which they live", Tales for Little Rebels takes 8 social/cultural themes and examines how they have been addressed by liberal children's authors. Many of the featured pieces were obvious in their efforts to influence the behavior and thought of readers, particularly those written for Socialist or religious publications, but the vast majority simply wove the values into a story that children could enjoy. It was interesting to read about the personal experiences of the authors and to see them reflected in their stories, particularly writers like Syd Hoff and Wanda Gag who also wrote for Marxist publications. Much of children's literature has the underlying theme of make order out of disorder/good conquering evil (although who and what is good is not necessarily the same for all people) as well as giving kids the encouragement to find their own solutions to the riddles of life. (which means that it is all political ~ commenting in some manner on social relationships) With the glut of choices, it is important that adults choose well and encourage their children to experience a wide range of literature that can entertain, reassure, inform, challenge, empower and invite them into a large and diverse world. It is also important for adults to read to and with their children and help make connections between the story in the book and their own stories. The authors have included a list of radical reading which includes old as well as new works, organized by theme. We live in a time when critical thinking skills are essential and the ability of enough people to do so is inadequate; radical literature will help with this. I would also add to this list the Lois Lenski, Robert McCloskey and Margaret Wise Brown books, The Man who had no Dream, Gordon the Goat (Munro Leaf), Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel (Virginia Lee Burton)....and many others. This is not a book that one would sit down and read cover to cover in one sitting, but is an excellent resource for teachers and for anyone interested in seeing the tremendous interplay between arts and culture.