Should We Burn Babar: Essays on Children's Literature and the Power of Stories

(Paperback)

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A revised edition of the prizewinning educator's collection of essays challenging some of the chestnuts of children's literature. Highlights instances of racism, sexism and condescension that detract from the tales being told and strategies are provided for detecting bias in stories written for young people, along with ways of teaching kids to think critically about what they read. Includes essays on Pinocchio, the history of progressive education and a call for the writing of more radical children's literature.

Author Bio

Herbert Kohl is a celebrated writer, teacher, and advocate. He is the author of more than forty books, including "I Won't Learn from You": And Other Thoughts on Creative Maladjustment, Should We Burn Babar: Essays on Children's Literature and the Power of Stories, The Discipline of Hope: Learning from a Lifetime of Teaching, Stupidity and Tears: Teaching and Learning in Troubled Times, She Would Not Be Moved: How We Tell the Story of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and The Herb Kohl Reader: Awakening the Heart of Teaching (all published by The New Press), as well as the bestselling classic 36 Children. He is a co-author, with Judith Kohl, of The View from the Oak: The Private Worlds of Other Creatures and a co-editor, with Tom Oppenheim, of The Muses Go to School: Inspiring Stories About the Importance of Arts in Education, both published by The New Press. A recipient of a National Book Award and a Robert F. Kennedy Book Award, he was the founder and first director of the Teachers and Writers Collaborative in New York City, has served as a senior fellow at the Open Society Institute, and established the PEN West Center. In 2010, Kohl was named a Guggenheim Fellow in education. He lives in Point Arena, California.