Was the Cat in the Hat Black?: The Hidden Racism of Children's Literature, and the Need for Diverse Books

Written in an avuncular style and very lightly lettered, Bruce Handy's Wild Things is a civilian's survey of a generous handful of canonical children's books--Goodnight Moon, The Cat in the Hat, Ramona the Pest, etc. Handy's approach includes anecdotes gleaned from his own childhood and fatherhood; some publishing history (probably already mostly known to Horn Book readers); and throughout, a palpable enthusiasm for the field. If telling us that In the Night Kitchen "is a story about sex" is perhaps less original or naughty than Handy seems to think it is, the author's account of his secret childhood passion for the Oz stories is funny and authentic.In his writing about The Cat in the Hat and the Little House books, Handy barely glances at the long-running debates about racism in children's literature; for Philip Nel, in Was the Cat in the Hat Black?, it's his entire subject. Nel's discussions of the changing fortunes (and texts!) of such books as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Mary Poppins are thorough and used toward a persuasive argument: yes, these books are racist, and yes, it matters. Perhaps even more enlightening is Nel's analysis of not just how many children's books there are by non-white authors and illustrators but what sorts of books they are publishing--or being allowed to publish. Why is there so little African American fantasy for young people? The book is passionate, informative well beyond its declared scope, and completely up to date--Nel (also author of "Laughter and Resistance: Humor as a Weapon in the Age of Trump," May/June 2017 Horn Book) looks forward to a post-Trump presidency where a federal "Anti-Racist Education Act" could perhaps be realized. roger sutton