Should We Burn Babar?

by Kohl, Herbert R.

• ISBN13: 9781595581303
• ISBN10: 1595581308
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-01-01
• Publisher: New Pr

Summary

A new edition of the prizewinning educator's thoughts on the politics of children's literature, including a new essay written for this volume. In "provocative and entertaining essays [that] will appeal to reflective readers, parents, and educators" (Library Journal), one of the country's foremost education writers looks at the stories we tell our children. Available now in a revised edition, including a new essay on the importance of "stoop-sitting" and storytelling, Should We Burn Babar? challenges some of the chestnuts of children's literature. Highlighting instances of racism, sexism, and condescension that detract from the tales being told, Kohl provides strategies for detecting bias in stories written for young people and suggests ways to teach kids to think critically about what they read. Beginning with the title essay on Babar the elephant, the book includes essays on Pinocchio, the history of progressive education, and a call for the writing of more radical children's literature. As the Hungry Mind Review concluded, "Kohl's prescriptions for renewing our schools through the use of stories and storytelling are impassioned, well-reasoned, and readable."

Table of Contents

Introduction by Jack Zipes	ix
Preface	xiii
1. Should We Burn Babar? Questioning Power in Children's Literature	1
2. A Plea for Radical Children's Literature	35
3. Wicked Boys and Good Schools: Three Takes on Pinocchio	87
4. The Good Old Days. I Was There. Where Was They? A Fictional History of Public Education in the United States	131
5. A Love Supreme: Riffing on the Standards: Placing Ideas and Dreams at the Center of High-Stakes Schooling	195
Bibliography	217