The History of Children’s Story Hour

In this episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia discuss the history of children’s story hour.

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: 

• “Drag queen story hours” have become the latest arena in the culture wars. Niki drew on this Slate piece about children’s librarian Anne Carroll Moore. Neil referenced this New York Times piece on the history of drag queen story hours. Natalia referred to historian Julia Mickenberg’s book Learning from the Left: Children’s Literature, the Cold War, and Radical Politics in the United States.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia discussed historian Ava Purkiss’ new book, Fit Citizens: A History of Black Women’s Exercise from Post Reconstruction to Postwar America.
• Neil recommended Gina Kolata’s New York Times article, “DNA From Beethoven’s Hair Unlocks Medical and Family Secrets.”
• Niki shared Maham Javaid’s Washington Post article, “After a 1935 Tragedy, a Priest Vowed to Teach Kids About Menstruation.”