Review: Good Children by Miao Yin-Tang

Synopsis: This is a book published in 1974 in China, under the clear direction of the Communist Party. It's an illustrated how-to manual for children on correct and proper behavior.

Review: I found this book at a thrift shop and snatched it up. It's both hilarious and terrifying. Thin and long, it has few words but many pictures, simple drawings for children done in bright colors and clear lines. Each pages has a lesson about how to behave - kindness, helpfulness, sacrifice - illustrated with a sentence and the pictures.

For example:

 

This is SO clearly communist propaganda, and yet, who can disagree with teaching kids these sort of things? Other than the message, I also enjoyed the different structure of the book - the shape, the semi-comic strip format, the use of pictures to tell a story. It's a interesting book and I'm glad I picked it up.

Bookmarks: 7 of 10

Awards: None

ISBN: N/A
Date Published: 1974
Date Finished: 6-27-2014
Pages: 9