Critical Approaches to Children s Literature Series Editors: Kerry Mallan and Clare Bradford Critical Approaches to Children s Literature is an innovative series concerned with the best contemporary scholarship and criticism on children s and young adult literature, film, and media texts. The series addresses new and developing areas of children s literature research as well as bringing contemporary perspectives to historical texts. The series has a distinctive take on scholarship, delivering quality works of criticism written in an accessible style for a range of readers, both academic and professional. The series is invaluable for undergraduate students in children s literature as well as advanced students and established scholars. Published titles include: Cherie Allan PLAYING WITH PICTUREBOOKS Postmodernism and the Postmodernesque Clare Bradford, Kerry Mallan, John Stephens & Robyn McCallum NEW WORLD ORDERS IN CONTEMPORARY CHILDREN S LITERATURE Utopian Transformations Alice Curry ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS IN YOUNG ADULT FICTION A Poetics of Earth Margaret Mackey NARRATIVE PLEASURES IN YOUNG ADULT NOVELS, FILMS AND VIDEO GAMES Critical Approaches to Children s Literature Kerry Mallan SECRETS, LIES AND CHILDREN S FICTION Andrew O Malley CHILDREN S LITERATURE, POPULAR CULTURE, AND ROBINSON CRUSOE Christopher Parkes CHILDREN S LITERATURE AND CAPITALISM Fictions of Social Mobility in Britain, 1850 1914 Michelle Smith EMPIRE IN BRITISH GIRLS LITERATURE AND CULTURE Imperial Girls, 1880 1915 Forthcoming titles: Elizabeth Bullen CLASS IN CONTEMPORARY CHILDREN S LITERATURE
Pamela Knights READING BALLET AND PERFORMANCE NARRATIVES FOR CHILDREN Susan Napier MIYAZAKI HAYO AND THE USES OF ENCHANTMENT Critical Approaches to Children s Literature Series Standing Order ISBN 978 0 230 22786 6 (hardback) 978 0 230 22787 3 (paperback) (outside North America only) You can receive future titles in this series as they are published by placing a standing order. Please contact your bookseller or, in case of difficulty, write to us at the address below with your name and address, the title of the series and one of the ISBNs quoted above. Customer Services Department, Macmillan Distribution Ltd, Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS, England
Secrets, Lies and Children s Fiction Kerry Mallan Palgrave macmillan
Kerry Mallan 2013 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2013 978-1-137-27465-6 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, Saffron House, 6 10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published 2013 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St Martin s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave and Macmillan are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN 978-1-349-44578-3 ISBN 978-1-137-27466-3 (ebook) DOI 10.1057/9781137274663 This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
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Contents List of Illustrations Series Preface Acknowledgements viii ix x Introduction: The Burden of Truth 1 Part I Truth, Lies and Survival 1 Unveiling the Truth 15 2 Lies of Necessity 42 3 The Scapegoat 65 Part II Secrets and Secrecy 4 Secrets of State 93 5 Secret Societies 118 6 Our Secret Selves 140 Part III Tangled Webs 7 Mendacious Animals 167 8 Artful Deception 185 Conclusion 212 Notes 215 Bibliography 225 Index 235 vii
List of Illustrations 1.1 Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood (2003) by Marjane Satrapi 19 1.2 Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return (2004) by Marjane Satrapi 26 2.1 The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2007) by Brian Selznick 61 3.1 Dancing the Boom Cha Cha Boogie (2005) by Narelle Oliver 69 3.2 My Dog (2001) by John Heffernan and Andrew McLean 71 3.3 Kojuro and the Bears (1986) by Junko Morimoto 72 3.4 Fowl Play (1996) by Jonathan Allen 80 6.1 Skim (2008) by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki 153 6.2 Sunday Chutney (2008) by Aaron Blabey 160 6.3 Sunday Chutney (2008) by Aaron Blabey 161 7.1 Fox (2000) by Margaret Wild and Ron Brooks 174 7.2 Wombat Stew (1984) by Marcia K. Vaughan and Pamela Lofts 176 7.3 Toad Heaven (2001) by Morris Gleitzman 177 8.1 Lies, Flies and Strange Big Fish: Tales from the Bush (2000), chosen by Bill Scott and illustrated by Craig Smith 196 8.2 Uncle David (1992) by Libby Gleeson and Armin Greder 201 8.3 The Cocky who Cried Dingo (2010) by Yvonne Morrison and Heath McKenzie 203 viii
Series Preface The Critical Approaches to Children s Literature series was initiated in 2008 by Kerry Mallan and Clare Bradford. The aim of the series is to identify and publish the best contemporary scholarship and criticism on children s and young adult literature, film and media texts. The series is open to theoretically informed scholarship covering a wide range of critical perspectives on historical and contemporary texts from diverse national and cultural settings. Critical Approaches aims to make a significant contribution to the expanding field of children s literature research by publishing quality books that promote informed discussion and debate about the production and reception of children s literature and its criticism. Kerry Mallan and Clare Bradford ix
Acknowledgements This book began as a small idea when I was attending the International Research Society in Children s Literature Congress in Frankfurt in 2009. Sitting alone one night in the hotel courtyard, I decided to look occupied and so started to map out an idea for a book about secrets and lies. Along the way from that initial private musing in a country far from home to the publication of this book I have been the recipient of much generosity, encouragement and helpful criticisms. The difficulty in writing acknowledgements is that given the vagaries of memory the list will undoubtedly be incomplete. I should begin by thanking the many colleagues who directly and indirectly offered comment, showed interest or suggested texts to read. These include the Critical Dialogues group at Queensland University of Technology; the conference delegates at the Girls, Texts and Cultures symposium at the University of Winnipeg, the Australasian Children s Literature Association for Research (Canberra), the International Research Society for Children s Literature (QUT, Brisbane) and the ChLA Congress (Simmons College, Boston); the colleagues and students from Beijing Normal University and Tianjin University; and teachers and early childhood professionals from The Gowrie state conference (Brisbane). I have also benefited in countless ways from the counsel, suggestions and perspectives of colleagues and friends. I single out a few names to thank for especially valuable help and support: Rod McGillis for his initial review of the proposal and subsequent critique of the manuscript which helped to sharpen my focus and clarify my ideas; Michelle Dicinoski for her helpful suggestions and insights; and Clare Bradford, my friend and colleague, for her unfailing support of my work. I also express my gratitude to Geraldine Massey, Cherie Allan, Amy Cross, Erica Hateley, Ingrid Johnston and Annette Patterson for their support in various ways: offering sustained interest in the project, recommending texts and assisting with locating elusive sources. I also very much appreciate the support and professionalism of the Palgrave team, especially Paula Kennedy and Sacha Lake. Many thanks to Monica Kendall for her thorough editorial support in seeing this book through to press. And as always, I have benefited in more ways than I can acknowledge from the loving support of my family: Kimberley, Christopher, Helen x
Acknowledgements xi and Steve who showed prolonged interest in this project, and especially to Mick for being a most judicious reader and constant helpmate. Thank you to the following for permission to reproduce illustrations: From (page 5) PERSEPOLIS: THE STORY OF A CHILDHOOD by Marjane Satrapi, translated by Mattias Ripa and Blake Ferris, translation copyright 2003 by L Association, Paris, France. Used by permission of Pantheon Books a division of Random House, Inc. Any third party use of this material, outside of this publication, is prohibited. Interested parties must apply directly to Random House, Inc. for permission. From (page 151) PERSEPOLIS 2: THE STORY OF A RETURN by Marjane Satrapi, translated by Anjali Singh, translation copyright 2004 by Anjali Singh. Used by permission of Pantheon Books, a division of Random House, Inc. Any third party use of this material, outside of this publication, is prohibited. Interested parties must apply directly to Random House, Inc. for permission. Illustration from THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET by Brian Selznick. Copyright 2007 by Brian Selznick. Reprinted by permission of Scholastic Inc. From the book DANCING THE BOOM CHA CHA BOOGIE by Narelle Oliver. Text and illustrations copyright Narelle Oliver 2005. First published by Omnibus Books, a division of Scholastic Australia Pty Limited, 2005. Reproduced by permission of Scholastic Australia Pty Limited. Illustration from MY DOG by John Heffernan and Andrew McLean. Text copyright 2001, John Heffernan. Illustrations copyright 2001, Andrew McLean. Reproduced by permission of Andrew McLean. Illustration from KOJURO AND THE BEARS. Illustrated by Junko Morimoto. Based on a story by Kenji Miyazawa. Copyright 1986. Reproduced by permission of Junko Morimoto. Illustration from FOWL PLAY by Jonathan Allen, Orion Children s Books, London. Copyright Jonathan Allen 1996. Reproduced with permission of Orion Children s Books. Illustration from SKIM written by Mariko Tamaki and illustrated by Jillian Tamaki. Illustrations Copyright 2008 Jillian Tamaki. Reproduced by permission of Walker Books Ltd, London SE11 5HJ www.walker.co.uk From SUNDAY CHUTNEY by Aaron Blabey. Copyright 2008 Aaron Blabey. Reprinted by permission of Penguin Books Australia. Copyright
xii Acknowledgements 2009 Aaron Blabey. Published by Front Street, an imprint of Boyds Mills Press. Reprinted by permission. From FOX written by Margaret Wild and illustrated by Ron Brooks. Copyright text Margaret Wild 2000. Copyright illustrations Ron Brooks 2000. First published in 2000 by Allen & Unwin 9 Atchison St, St Leonards, Australia. Reprinted by permission of Allen & Unwin: www.allen-unwin.com.au. From the book WOMBAT STEW by Marcia Vaughan and Pamela Lofts. Text copyright Marcia Vaughan 1984. lllustrations copyright Pamela Lofts 1984. First published by Scholastic Press, a division of Scholastic Australia Pty Limited 1984. Reproduced by permission of Scholastic Australia Pty Limited. Illustration from the cover of TOAD HEAVEN. Copyright 2001. Text copyright Morris Gleitzman, 2001. Illustration copyright Rod Clements, 2001. Reprinted by permission of Penguin Group Australia. From LIES, FLIES AND STRANGE BIG FISH: TALES FROM THE BUSH chosen by Bill Scott and illustrated by Craig Smith. Copyright illustrations Craig Smith 2000. First published in 2000 by Allen & Unwin 9 Atchison St, St Leonards, Australia. Reprinted by permission of Allen & Unwin: www.allen-unwin.com.au. From the book UNCLE DAVID by Libby Gleeson and Armin Greder. Text copyright Libby Gleeson 1992. Illustrations copyright Armin Greder. First published by Scholastic Press, a division of Scholastic Australia Pty Limited, 1992. Reproduced by permission of Scholastic Australia Pty Limited and Armin Greder. Illustration from THE COCKY WHO CRIED DINGO by Yvonne Morrison and Heath McKenzie. Text Yvonne Morrison 2010. Illustrations Heath McKenzie 2010. Published by Little Hare an imprint of Hardie Grant Egmont. Reprinted by permission.