Ebony Jr!: The Rise, Fall, and Return of a Black Children's Magazine

by Laretta Henderson

Overview

In 1945, John H. Johnson published the first issue of Ebony magazine, a monthly periodical aimed at African American readers. In 1973, the Johnson Publishing Company expanded its readership to include children by producing Ebony Jr!. Targeting Black children in the five to eleven age-range, the magazine featured stories, comics, puzzles, and cartoons. Its contents combined elements of Black culture, Black history, and elementary school curriculum. The publication remained in print until 1985 and was resurrected online in 2007.

In Ebony Jr! The Rise, Fall and Return of a Black Children's Magazine, Laretta Henderson charts this unique publication's genesis, history, and impact. She analyzes the structure and literary context of Ebony Jr!, revealing how the political climate informed the composition of the magazine. Henderson also profiles the magazine's publisher, John H. Johnson, and examines how his corporate structure facilitated and informed Ebony Jr!'s content, success, and its initial demise.

This culturally significant milestone in African American culture is given its due deference in this interdisciplinary examination of the environment in which Ebony Jr! was produced, assessing what the magazine's existence meant to a generation of young readers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780810861343
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	05/30/2008
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	234
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Laretta Henderson is Assistant Professor in the School of Information Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments     vii
Introduction     ix
Ebony Jr!'s Place in the World of Children's Periodicals
Ebony Jr!: A Profile     3
Ebony Jr!'s Market     27
Ebony Jr!'s Publisher: John H. Johnson     45
Contexts and Analysis: Politics and Education
The Political Socialization of Black Childhood: The Case for Ebony Jr!     69
Gaining Skills, Values, and Historically Accurate Knowledge     109
Contexts and Analysis: Constructing Black Children and Their Literature
Johnson Publishing Company's Construction of the Black Child     151
Conclusion     181
Bibliography     201
Index     211
About the Author     219

Editorial Reviews

In this groundbreaking examination of the African American children's magazine Ebony Jr! Henderson scrutinizes how the magazine fits into children's literature more broadly by looking at content, market, and the magazine's publisher, John H. Johnson....Henderson engages readers in a close study of the African American periodical in a way that no other author has....Henderson's book, with its assessment of Ebony Jr!'s place in American culture, history, and literature, will serve readers in communication and across the curriculum. Highly recommended.

Choice Reviews

In this groundbreaking examination of the African American children's magazine Ebony Jr! Henderson scrutinizes how the magazine fits into children's literature more broadly by looking at content, market, and the magazine's publisher, John H. Johnson....Henderson engages readers in a close study of the African American periodical in a way that no other author has....Henderson's book, with its assessment of Ebony Jr!'s place in American culture, history, and literature, will serve readers in communication and across the curriculum. Highly recommended.

February 2009 Choice Reviews

Laretta Henderson's Ebony Jr! The Rise, Fall and Return of a Black Children's Magazine is a welcome contribution to the literature exploring the history of African American children's literature. The volume is profoundly interdisciplinary. Henderson has managed to write a book that simultaneously presents a meticulously close reading of Ebony Jr! and a wide-reaching snapshot of black America during the magazine's lifespan. She carefully describes the multilayered social and literary contexts within which the publication must be examined. This book provides important context for scholars who are interested in the history of African American children's literature, African American cultural history, and childhood studies generally. It is wide-ranging, critical, celebratory, and important.

Children's Literature Association Quarterly - Dianne Johnson

In this groundbreaking examination of the African American children's magazine Ebony Jr! Henderson scrutinizes how the magazine fits into children's literature more broadly by looking at content, market, and the magazine's publisher, John H. Johnson....Henderson engages readers in a close study of the African American periodical in a way that no other author has....Henderson's book, with its assessment of Ebony Jr!'s place in American culture, history, and literature, will serve readers in communication and across the curriculum. Highly recommended.

Choice

Laretta Henderson's Ebony Jr! The Rise, Fall and Return of a Black Children's Magazine is a welcome contribution to the literature exploring the history of African American children's literature. The volume is profoundly interdisciplinary. Henderson has managed to write a book that simultaneously presents a meticulously close reading of Ebony Jr! and a wide-reaching snapshot of black America during the magazine's lifespan. She carefully describes the multilayered social and literary contexts within which the publication must be examined. This book provides important context for scholars who are interested in the history of African American children's literature, African American cultural history, and childhood studies generally. It is wide-ranging, critical, celebratory, and important.--Dianne Johnson "Children's Literature Association Quarterly "

In this groundbreaking examination of the African American children's magazine Ebony Jr! Henderson scrutinizes how the magazine fits into children's literature more broadly by looking at content, market, and the magazine's publisher, John H. Johnson....Henderson engages readers in a close study of the African American periodical in a way that no other author has....Henderson's book, with its assessment of Ebony Jr!'s place in American culture, history, and literature, will serve readers in communication and across the curriculum. Highly recommended.--CHOICE, February 2009

From the Publisher

In this groundbreaking examination of the African American children's magazine Ebony Jr! Henderson scrutinizes how the magazine fits into children's literature more broadly by looking at content, market, and the magazine's publisher, John H. Johnson....Henderson engages readers in a close study of the African American periodical in a way that no other author has....Henderson's book, with its assessment of Ebony Jr!'s place in American culture, history, and literature, will serve readers in communication and across the curriculum. Highly recommended.

February 2009 CHOICE