Highlights in History: The Intersection of Childhood and Children’s Literature in Highlights for Children Magazine. Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Susan M. Strayer Graduate Program in Education, Teaching and Learning The Ohio State University 2018 Dissertation Committee Michelle Ann Abate, Advisor Mollie V. Blackburn Caroline Clark Deidra Herring 1 Copyrighted by Susan M. Strayer 2018 2 Abstract This dissertation is a study of how American sociocultural ideas of childhood overlap with changes in the publication of children’s literature, as seen through the Highlights for Children magazine, first published in 1946. The first chapter is a genealogy of the magazine founders, their work promoting Americanism and literacy in the early 20th century, and their creation of the publication. Chapter two explores the moral development goals of the magazine, the emphasis on turning children into good citizens, and the juxtaposition of adult-created content within child-centered spaces. Chapter three is a review of the relevant scholarship of childhood studies. Chapter four is an analysis of the changing landscape of children’s literature, as seen through Highlights for Children when placed in its historical and social context. Chapter five features three critical snapshots of additional research on Highlights. Overall the dissertation examines historical contexts of American childhood inside and outside of the magazine, and how that has influenced the production of children’s literature during 20th century American history. ii For Mom, with love and gratitude iii Acknowledgments This project has been brought to you today by the letter H and the number 1946. And also by a whole host of people who have helped and supported me through the years of Ph.D. coursework and writing. These few words do not seem like enough to thank you for everything you have done for me, but hopefully being immortalized in the dissertation archive will provide some small penance for your long-suffering assistance. To my advisor and friend, Michelle Abate, I feel so privileged to have known you since I was an undergraduate student. It was you who first introduced me to the notion of children’s literature as a field of study and who first prompted my questions about the nature of childhood and the history of literature for children. Your example inspires me every day to pursue more writing, to present more conference papers, and to reach out to newcomers in our field and try to emulate your mentorship and guidance to them and give them the same warm welcome that I felt in our class together at Hollins. Thank you also for your sense of humor and playfulness; even more than teaching me to be a scholar, you have taught me how to have fun while doing the hard work of a professor and researcher. To my committee members. Mollie Blackburn, who stepped in when I most needed another helping hand for my defense. Your support and critical expertise have been invaluable to me. To Caroline Clark, who joined my committee near the end of my iv journey, but came with enthusiasm and willingness to help. Finally to Deidra Herring, without you there would be no dissertation. Thank you for pursuing the research on Highlights so that I could stumble into the library archives as a wide-eyed wanderer alongside you. Working with you made the potentially dull research vibrant and alive again, as Garry and Caroline Myers would have wanted it to be. To my friends and family. Mom, Maggie, Abby, and Robin, who listened to me complain and stress about finishing. To Lynne, who graciously read chapter drafts as I struggled to get past a writing block. To Christine, Mary Catherine, and Sarah, who always had my back when I needed to talk to someone who understood the struggles I was experiencing. To Anna and Samantha, my trusty cohort who never had a single doubt about my ability to finish this crazy project. For my grandfather, Joseph R. Strayer, whose influence on me has been profound though we never met. Without you I would never have developed such an interest in the past. For my brother, John, who told me that I was wiser than he for pursuing this degree and who supported me even through his cancer diagnosis and passing. This is for you. And finally for my mother, Glenda. Your pursuit of our family genealogy during my entire lifetime must have rubbed off on me somehow. Thank you for your assistance with navigating census and death records, locating graves, and tracing the pieces of lives through the detritus of human history. I’m proud to be able to use these skills in my own scholarship as I continue to research the history of seemingly ordinary people. v Vita 2008 B.A. in English with a Concentration in Creative Writing, Hollins University, Roanoke, Virginia 2012 M.F.A. in Children’s Literature, Hollins University, Roanoke, Virginia 2018 M.A. in Education, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 2013-2017 Graduate Teaching Associate, Department of Teaching and Learning, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio Publications Strayer, Susan M. Review of Mixed Magic: Global-local Dialogues in Fairy Tales for Young Readers, by Anna Katrina Gutierrez. Marvels & Tales, 33:1, 2019. ---. “'The Cards, the Cards, the Cards Will Tell': The Power of Tarot Archetypes in Disney's The Princess and the Frog.” Children’s Literature, vol. 46, 2018. ---. Review of Fantasy and the Real World: The Power of Story, by Caroline Webb. Children's Literature Association Quarterly, 40:2, Summer 2015. Fields of Study Major Field: Education, Teaching and Learning vi Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. iv Vita ..................................................................................................................................... vi List of Tables ................................................................................................................... viii Chapter 1: Children’s Literature, Childhood Studies, and Highlights ................................ 1 Defining Children’s Literature ........................................................................................ 3 The Changing Idea of Childhood .................................................................................. 11 Childhood Literature and New Historicism .................................................................. 20 Chapter 2—Highlights: A History .................................................................................... 27 The Beginnings of “Fun with a Purpose” ..................................................................... 28 The Founding of Highlights for Children ..................................................................... 43 The Future of Highlights for Children Magazine ......................................................... 51 Chapter 3: Highlights’ Guiding Philosophy ..................................................................... 60 “Let’s Talk Things Over” and Ethnocentric Philosophy .............................................. 61 “Before We Forgot to Remember:” Sammy Spivens’ Weedy Garden ......................... 68 “I Don’t Agree With You:” Letters to the Editor ......................................................... 75 Chapter 4: Highlights as Childhood Literature ................................................................. 84 Innocence and Wonder, 1946-1960 .............................................................................. 87 Child Agency, 1961-1975 ............................................................................................. 97 Diversity and Multiculturalism, 1976-1990 ................................................................ 107 Chapter 5: Critical Snapshots in Highlights for Children ............................................... 114 Mid-Century Modern: Army Alpha and Beta Tests, Highlights for Children, and the Rise of Standardized Testing ...................................................................................... 115 The Race for the Moon: Space Race Childhood in Highlights for Children Magazine ..................................................................................................................................... 120 Hidden Mickeys: The Disney Generation, Childhood, and Children’s Literature in the Highlights for Children Magazine .............................................................................. 127 Conclusion: The Future of Childhood Literature............................................................ 137 Works Cited .................................................................................................................... 140 vii List of Tables Table 1. Norms by Grades………………………………………………………………35 Table 2. Norms by Chronological Age…………………………………………………..36 viii Chapter 1: Children’s Literature, Childhood Studies, and Highlights The critical perspectives on childhood and children’s literature that apply to Highlights are diverse. However, a separation between the two fields occurs because scholars of childhood rarely discuss children’s literature and scholars of children’s texts commonly discuss childhood as a means of placing the child reader into the same realm as the literature intended for them.