Free Within Ourselves by Rudine Sims Bishop

Thanks to Jenny Schwartzberg, rare book librarian, for letting me (and others) know about Rudine Sims Bishop's 2007 book Free Within Ourselves: The Development of African American Children's Literature. Bishop is Professor Emerita of Education at The Ohio State University, where she has taught courses on children’s literature. In 2007 she won the NCTE Outstanding Educator in English Language Arts Award.

According to the School Library Journal in Free Within Ourselves, "Bishop traces the evolution of fiction written for black children and by black authors and illustrators within the context of African-American social and literary history....Her writing is precise and engaging, and it really comes alive when presenting primary-source material....She provides an extensive bibliography for further exploration." Enjoy!