Sticks and stones : the troublesome success of children's literature from Slovenly Peter to Harry Potter

Have children ever really had a literature of their own?

In Sticks and Stones Jack Zipes, translator of the Grimm tales, teacher, storyteller and scholar, explores children's literature, from the grisly moralism of Slovenly Peter to the hugely successful Harry Potter books, and argues that despite common assumptions about children's books, our current investment in children is paradoxically curtailing their freedom and creativity.

Sticks and Stones is a forthright and engaging book by someone who cares deeply about what and how children read.