Marilyn Sachs (1927–2016)

Classic '80s middle grade novel. It had all the things I liked about these books: light, character-driven, doesn't move too quickly, quirky. The main character is allowed to be "young" for her age (she's unsophisticated, she sits on her dad's lap when she's upset.) In a complete throwaway moment, she bravely catches a thief! The coolest thing she can wear is a sweater with a boat collar. Aaaaand the man who lives upstairs whom the MC has a crush on is a total perv who's grooming her. The writer knows it, the reader knows it, and luckily the MC figures it out. But it's presented as no big deal, of course she can keep on babysitting for his child. And that's what it was like in the '80s; you kids today don't know how good you have it.… (meer)

Full disclosure: I bought this book simply because it had one of Maurice Sendak's Wild Things on the cover, and completely unaware of the contents, so this review may be a little scattered. Obviously Sendak was involved in the production of this book, contributing a lovely illustration of a simpler world full of fun and adventure, but most of the authors and illustrators were unfamiliar to me. Published in 1990, as the world was coming down from the highs of the Cold War, but still seeing an increase in violence and strige worldwide, the collection is a manifesto promoting cooperation, understanding, and of course peace among humankind. We see examples of cultures coming together ("There is an Island"), people peaefully protesting for their rights ("The Bus for Deadhorse"), and an example of peaceful coexistence from the animal world ("The Birds' Peace") to name a few of my favourite examples. For what is on the surface a simple children's book of tales, I was surprised at how deeply many of the stories tackle a historical narrative. Engaging with themes of American nationalism, racism, and isolationis a tricky thing to do for publishers, but this risk has paid off to make the book highly engaging. Since its publication it doesn't seem like humanity has come very far in becoming more peaceful, so may it is time to revisit this publishing concept and do another BIGGER book for peace!… (meer)