Children's Literature of the Harlem Renaissance (Blacks in the Diaspora)

Rating:
Summary: Lively and readable
Review: This book surveys the literature and drama produced about and for children and their parents during the Harlem Renaissance, the period associated with the flowering of the arts not only in Harlem but in other urban centers as well. Believing that the "New Negro" would ultimately arise from black youth, W.E.B. Du Bois, Carter G. Woodson, Langston Hughes, Alice Dunbar-Nelson, and other major figures took an impassioned interest in the literary models offered to children.

Smith explores the period's vigorous exchange about the nature and identity of black childhood and uncovers the networks of African American philosophers, community activists, schoolteachers, and literary artists who worked together to transmit black history and culture to the next generation. She also explores how various leaders forged bonds of cultural, economic and aesthetic solidarity even though they often disagreed over popular vs. elite constructions. This process is fascinating to watch, and is amply documented throughout the book with images and excerpts.

The book is lively and readable...not words I frequently associate with such an exhaustive study. I particularly enjoyed the chapter about Carter G. Woodson's publishing house, which issued a dozen children's texts during the 1930's and 1940's. I hope this book finds its way beyond the African American Studies bookshelves, as it deserves to be read by anyone interested in the evolution of American children's literature.