"And It Was Just Right": Food and Cooking In Children's Literature -- University of Michigan Special Collections Library

When

Tuesday December 3, 2013: 9:00am to Tuesday January 14, 2014: 9:00pm

Where

Downtown Library: Lower Level Display Cases

Description

This exhibit brings together materials from two fascinating strengths of the Special Collections Library: Children’s Literature and American Culinary History. Stories for children are full of food, from Little Red Riding Hood’s basket of goodies to Harry Potter’s earwax-flavored jelly beans. Since at least the mid-19th century, children have been a distinct audience for cookbooks and other food-related publications.

These folk tales, adventure stories, cookbooks, advertising pamphlets, and didactic novels from the Janice Bluestein Longone Culinary Archive and the Children’s Literature Collection use images and descriptions of food to amuse, instruct, admonish, reassure, tempt, warn, and raise that “eew-gross” reaction so loved by children of a certain age. Food comes alive, talks back, and runs away. It stands for reward, celebration, and wish fulfillment. It marks the hours of the day and embodies social and family stability – or their absence.

Join us to explore the roles food plays in children’s literature, and the ways books on food address children.