Once Upon a Time in a Different World

<p><em>Once Upon a Time in a Different World</em>, a unique addition to the celebrated Children’s Literature and Culture series, seeks to move discussions and treatments of ideas in African America Children’s literature from the margins to the forefront of literary discourse. Looking at a variety of topics, including the moralities of heterosexism, the veneration of literacy, and the "politics of hair," Neal A. Lester provides a scholarly and accessible compilation of essays that will serve as an invaluable resource for parents, students, and educators.</p><p>The much-needed reexamination of African American children’s texts follows an engaging call-and-response format, allowing for a lively and illuminating discussion between its primary author and a diverse group of contributors; including educators, scholars, students, parents, and critics. In addition to these distinct dialogues, the book features an enlightening generational conversation between Lester and his teenage daughter as they review the same novels. With critical assessments of Toni and Slade Morrison’s <em>The Big Box</em> and <em>The Book of Mean People</em>, bell hooks’ <em>Happy to Be Nappy</em>, and Anne Schraff’s <em>Until We Meet Again</em>, among many other works, these provocative and fresh essays yield a wealth of perspectives on the intersections of identity formations in childhood and adulthood.</p> <p>Series Editor's Foreword, Jack Zipes. Foreword, C.W. Sullivan III. Acknowledgments. Introduction: Moistening the Desert Landscapes. <strong>Part 1: A "Call-and-Response" Conversation </strong>1. (Un)Happily Ever After: Fairy Tale Morals, Moralities, and Heterosexism in Children's Texts. Response: Stacy Augustine. 2. "Life for Me Ain't Been No Crystal Stair": Readin', Writin', and Parental (Il)literacy in African American Children's Books. Response: Olga Idriss Davis. 3. "Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones": Airbrushing and the Ugliest of Ugly in African American Children's Picture Books. Response: Joseph L. Graves, Jr. 4. Nappy Edges and Goldy Locks: African American Daughters and the Politics of Hair. Response: Vincenza Mangiolino. 5. Roots That Go Beyond Big Hair and a Bad Hair Day: <em>Nappy Hair </em>Pieces. Response: C. A. Hammons. 6. Don't Condemn White Teacher Over <em>Nappy Hair </em>(An Editorial) . Response: Kim-Curry Evans. 7. Angels of Color: Divinely Inspired or Socially Constructed? Response: ben clark. 8. "Do You See What I See? Do You Hear What I Hear?": Becoming Better Adults through Toni Morrison's <em>The Big Box </em>and <em>The Book of Mean People. </em>Response: Nathan Stamey Winesett. <strong>Part 2. Dialoguing Reviews </strong>9. Reviews of Anne Schraff's <em>Lost and Found </em> 10. Reviews of Anne Schraff's <em>A Matter of Trust </em>11. Reviews of Anne Schraff's <em>Until We Meet Again </em>12. Review of Eliza A. Comodromo's <em>Teacher's Guide to the Bluford Series </em>13. Review of Walter Dean Myer's <em>The Beast</em> 14. Review of Angela Johnson's <em>The First Part Last</em> 15. Review of Kelly McWilliams's <em>Doormat </em>16. Response to "Dialoguing Reviews": Parent's, It's 10:00--Do You Know What Your Children Are Reading, James Blasingame, Jr. <strong>Part 3. Extending Discourses </strong>17. Unlocking the Beauty of Hair: A Review of Joyce Carol Thomas's <em>Crowning Glory </em>18. Nappy Happy: A Review of bell hooks's <em>Happy to Be Nappy</em> 19. "Shake it to the One You Love the Best": A Review of <em>Juba This & Juba That</em> 20. Response to "Extending Discourses," Elizabeth McNeil Notes About the Contributors Works Cited Index</p>