Children's Literature of the Harlem Renaissance (review)

Many of the debates about the role of blacks in American society that occurred in adult New Negro publications also materialized in the Brownies' Book, often highlighting ambivalences that offer a complex and contradictory message to young black readers. Smith identifies the factors that contri...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inChildren's Literature Association Quarterly Vol. 31; no. 1; pp. 102 - 105
Main Author Martin, Michelle H
Format Journal Article Book Review
LanguageEnglish
Published Baltimore Johns Hopkins University Press 01.04.2006
Subjects
African Americans
Black history
Black literature
Blacks
Capshaw, Kate
Childrens literature
Drama
Literary criticism
Nonfiction
Poetry
Social classes
Teachers
Woodson, Carter G (1875-1950)
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Summary:Many of the debates about the role of blacks in American society that occurred in adult New Negro publications also materialized in the Brownies' Book, often highlighting ambivalences that offer a complex and contradictory message to young black readers. Smith identifies the factors that contributed to the "reformative educational agenda" of the drama of this era: most black playwrights were teachers whose students would perform their plays; most of the writers lived in the heart of the Little Theater movement, Washington, D.C., which had a prominent black middle class and the largest urban black population in the country; and these writers also had the support of Carter G. Woodson, "father" of Negro History Week and founder of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (54).
ISSN:0885-0429
1553-1201
1553-1201
DOI:10.1353/chq.2006.0030