Josette Frank facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Josette Frank
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A portrait of Frank, year unknown
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| Born | March 27, 1893 |
| Died | September 9, 1989 (aged 96) Alexandria, Virginia
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| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Children's literature advocate and editor |
| Known for | Children's Reading Consultant, Child Study Association of America Namesake of Josette Frank Award |
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Notable work
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What Books For Children? Your Children's Reading Today |
Josette Frank (born March 27, 1893 – died September 9, 1989) was an American expert on children's books. She also worked as a consultant for education. Frank spent most of her life working for the Child Study Association of America (CSAA). This group was a top expert on how children grow and learn from the 1920s to the 1960s.
Frank was the CSAA's expert on children's reading. She wrote a guide for parents called What Books For Children? in 1937. A new version came out in 1941. Frank believed that parents should let children choose more of what they read. Because of these ideas, she became a strong supporter of comic books. This was during a time in the 1950s when many people thought comics were bad for kids. She received both praise and criticism for her views.
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Early Life and Work
Josette Frank was born on March 27, 1893, in Manhattan, New York City. Her family was Jewish but not very religious. Her father, Leo, owned a successful furniture business.
When she was young, Frank was involved in early movements for women's rights. She also joined the Women's Land Army. This group helped women work on farms during wartime. At 19, she got her first job as a secretary for Theodore Roosevelt. She also looked into problems with child labor. She helped poor immigrants in New York's Lower East Side while living in Greenwich Village.
Josette Frank and the CSAA
Helping Children Read
Frank first joined the Federation For Child Study in 1923. This group later became the CSAA. She worked as an assistant editor for their magazine, Child Study.
In 1936, Frank wrote an important article in Parents Magazine. She said that parents should let children choose their own books. She believed this was the best way to guide their reading. She wrote, "We can best guide our children's reading if we let our children's reading guide us." She felt that children should explore books on their own.
Frank became very knowledgeable about children's books. The CSAA director, Sidonie Matsner Gruenberg, suggested Frank write a book. This book would recommend books to parents. Frank's book, What Books For Children?, was published in 1937. Frank promoted her book at the New York Times National Book Fair. This event took place in November 1937.
The book fair helped many more people hear Frank's ideas. She believed that parents should not worry too much about what their children read. She thought that reading material did not greatly shape a child's morals. At the fair, Frank also talked about children reading comic books. She said:
My little girl, now 12 years old, is reading Van Loon's The Arts, but her favorite reading is the Sunday colored funnies. It seems to me that a child's interest in these 'funnies' has nothing to do with her intelligence quotient. One great reason may be that in the comic strips something is happening very fast and always comes to a dramatic close. i think that children like that swift, sudden action. At any rate the question is not whether children should read the comics, but how are you going to stop them?"
Some people did not agree with Frank's open-minded views. Frank explained that parents could not completely stop children from finding "forbidden" books. She said that trying to ban something often makes it more appealing.
Supporting Comic Books
In the 1940s and 1950s, many people worried about comic books. A writer named Sterling North called comics "graphic insanity." Comic book companies wanted to show that their books were not harmful. National Comics Publications (now DC Comics) told its writers to create only safe stories.
In 1941, Josette Frank joined National Comics' advisory board. This was a part-time job. Her name appeared in every National comic book starting in mid-1941. Board members were paid even if they did not give much advice. They usually reviewed story ideas, not finished comics.
In the 1941 edition of What Books For Children?, Frank wrote more about comics. She tried to understand why children liked them so much.
By 1950, many people thought comic books were bad for children. Some critics used Frank's job with National Comics to say her writings were not fair. In 1954, the U.S. Senate held hearings. They wanted to see if comic books were linked to bad behavior in young people. During these hearings, Senator Estes Kefauver questioned the CSAA president. He suggested that Frank's writings were not trustworthy because she was paid by the comic book industry.
Personal Life and Legacy
Josette Frank married Henry Jacobs in 1923. But she chose to keep her own last name, which was unusual then. She would even return mail addressed to "Mrs. Jacobs." She would say no one by that name lived there. Her husband died in 1941. They had two children, a daughter named Judith and a son named Stephen.
Besides her work with the CSAA, Frank also served on other committees. These included the National Conference of Christians and Jews and the Campfire Girls.
Frank passed away from pneumonia on September 9, 1989. She was in a nursing home in Alexandria, Virginia.
Frank left an important mark on children's literature. She was the first editor of the Children's Book Committee at the Bank Street College of Education. She also helped choose the winner of the annual Children's Book Award. This award for children's fiction started in 1944. In 1997, the award was renamed in her honor.
See also
- Professor Marston and the Wonder Women
