Education Commons^™

The Brownies' Book, Valerie L. Williams-Sanchez

The Reading Professor

With editors such as legendary scholar and visionary publisher, W. E. B. DuBois, and Jessie Faucet, a renowned literary voice of the Harlem Renaissance, The Brownies' Book (January 1920-December 1921) is a publication for the ages. In print just two years, the children's magazine catered to an audience that targeted "all children, but especially for ours, the Children of the Sun" (DuBois, 1919, p. 285). In view of its groundbreaking contributions, the monthly is distinguished as a foundational work in American children's publishing, literature, and literacy. Examination of the short-lived magazine's successes and challenges uncovers and sheds light on its …