Raising Your Kids Right

Michelle Ann Abate is an associate professor in the English department at Hollins University. She is the author of Tomboys: A Literary and Cultural History, and the editor of the journal Children's Literature.

• Introduction. “In Adam’s Fall, We Sinned All”: The Conservative Tradition in U.S. Children’s Literature, Culture, and Politics1 “Give Me Some of That Old-Time Reading”: William Bennett’s The Book of Virtues and the Rise of Right-Leaning Literature for Young Readers2 “I Speak for the National Oak Flooring Manufacturers Association”: Truax, the Anti-Green Movement, and the Corporate  Production of Children’s Literature3 Not Just Christianity, But the Christian Right: The Battle over Public Education and the American Sunday School Movement in the Left Behind Series for Kids4 Patriot Acts: Fighting the War on Terror via the Canon Wars in Lynne Cheney’s Picture Books5 Pundit Knows Best: The Self-Help Boom, Brand Marketing, and The O’Reilly Factor for Kids6 “One State, Two State, Red State, Blue State”: Bringing Partisan Politics to Picture Books in Katharine DeBrecht’s Help! Mom!  SeriesConclusion. “The Gosh-Darnit, Doggone It, You-Betcha Wink Heard ’Round the World”: The 2008 Presidential Election, the State of the Conservative Movement, and the Future of Rightist Books for Young Readers

"Few people are aware of the right's attempts to use children's literature ideologically to indoctrinate American youth. While this book will certainly be valuable to scholars of children's literature and education, those outside of academe should also sit up and take notice." - Philip Nel (coeditor of Tales for Little Rebels) "Raising Your Kids Right is an eye-opening examination of how the contemporary conservative movement has deployed children's literature. Michelle Ann Abate adds a crucial dimension to the study of the conservative movement while simultaneously expanding the discussion about the intersections of children's literature and American politics."(Children's Literature Association Quarterly) "A timely and engaging study of the rise of conservative children's books published in the United States. It is a valuable study of the political nature of some of children's literature as it zeros in on a handful of high-profile conservative titles published since the 1990s."- Jan Susina (Teachers College Record) "A brilliant study that marks a significant intervention in both the fields of political science and children's literature."(The Lion and the Unicorn) "The role of children's literature in laying the groundwork for future generations to embrace conservatism is worth exploring and understanding. Abate's book helps open that conversation, while leaving plenty of questions for future scholars to pursue."(Journal of the History of Childhood and Youth)