Wild Things! Acts of Mischief in Children's Literature pages 11-43 summary

1. Vanessa Saenz *LSSL 5393.01* February 5, 2017
Textbook Summary 1:

4. However, it wasn’t until the late 18th century
that books that could be viewed as
“entertainment” were readily available.

5. More often than not, these books still managed
to fall into the previous four categories. Which is
not surprising since children’s books are still
seen as ideal instruments of instruction.
It was in the shadow of these often dry text,
however, that the culture of subversive children’s
literature was able to blossom.

7. Hoffmann created Struwwellpeter in the 1840s after being
disappointed in the lack of variety in books for his children.
His book, Entertaining Stories and Funny Pictures with 15
Nicely colored Panel for Children, consisted of 10 rhyming
stories with roughish characters that “pay a big price-
sometimes the ultimate price- for their bad behavior.”
His believed that, “The child learns simply only through the
eye and only understands that which it sees…” and therefore
created stories that allowed them to understand the
consequences of their choices.

8. Hoffmann’s Struwwellpeter was a major
influence on Mark Twain, who brought it over
to the United States and had it translated
under the title, Slovenly Peter. Twain was so
impacted by the work that similar themes can
be found in his book The Adventures of Tom
Sawyer, which notoriously subverts and
satirizes adult conventions.

9. Children, according to this book’s authors, are “the eternal
battleground” because it’s upon them that adults place
their hopes and dreams.” They are “blank tablet(s)” that
adults view they must mold into “good citizens.”
Authors of subversive literature aim to break this
traditional view. Their task is not easy because there are
“gatekeepers” who aim to preserve the tradition of
molding “civilized adults.

10. But more often than not, these
“gatekeepers” have a tendency to miss
things. This happens because children’s
books are not given as much scrutiny
as those published for adults. As a
result, creativity blooms and provides a
“free space for unconventional ideas.”

13. The authors highlight Munro Leaf’s 1936 The
Story of Ferdinand as an example of this
uncensored view of history. The peaceful bull was
a direct contrast to the pro-World War II
sentiment that was prevalent across the world
during this time. The book became an instant
classic and favorite read but was criticized most
notably by Adolf Hitler and Francisco Franco.

14. Doreen Cronin’s Click Clack Moo, Cows that
Type is another subversive book that has
been disparaged. Critics claimed that the
book was anti-creationist “because it makes
animals equal to people.”

16. Subversive literature, the
authors note, allows children
to escape from this feeling.
It also allows them to
encounter heroes like
Christopher Robin, Eloise
and Max, the leader of all
the Wild Things.

18. Dahl’s popularity amongst children is credited to
his willingness to allow his young protagonist to
make good choices while their adult counterparts
make bad ones. Margaret Talbot also argued that
adults objected to his books stemming from the
“expectations that they should always be in
charge.”

20. Scieszka cites MAD Magazine as great influence in his life
and his writing. He says that “MAD started me laughing,
but then quickly got me questioning mindless authority.”

21. Without the magazine, Scieszka notes, he
might never have wondered what would
happen if, “the wolf got to tell his side
of the story of the ‘Three Little Pigs’
fairy tale. What might happen if…if…if?

23. The authors write that the “current crop
of children’s book creators don’t have to
abide by many of the old rules.” One
particular unwritten rule that is being
discarded is the death of the
protagonist. They do, however, question
if authors are doing this “just to shock
the reader.”

24. Author Kara LaReau thinks that children want
stories that are truthful and recognizes that
it is “becoming more and more difficult to
hide the complexities of our world from
children” and that it “can be comforting…for
them to see stories that reflect life’s
adversities and show how we might find
humor in them.”

26. If one is to believe the Merriam-Webster definition of the
word subversive, authors who pen this sort of children’s
literature seek to overthrow and destroy prior texts and
expectations.
However what they do is much more.
They do not blindly pen stories to in hopes of thumbing their
noses at authority, they write as LaReau noted to share reality
with their readers. Scieszka recalled that MAD magazines
subversive text made him question the reality around him. And
therein lies the power of subversive literature:
It allows young readers to think for themselves.