Julia Mickenberg and Philip Nel, editors, Tales for Little Rebels: A Collection of Radical Children's Literature. Foreword by Jack Zipes. New York University Press, forthcoming 1 November 2008.

• Read New York University Press' page.

Philip Nel, The Annotated Cat: Under the Hats of Seuss and His Cats. Random House, 2007.

• "a super-dooper-doozidy-floozer of a doozy. [...] The Cat in the Hat [...] changed kid’s books forever and now Mr. Nel has edited The Annotated Cat: Under the Hats of Seuss and His Cats. For Seuss fanatics like myself it’s as sweet as pink cake (with little cross-hatch lines on the sides)."

-- Lane Smith

• "In The Annotated Cat: Under the Hats of Seuss and His Cats, Philip Nel gives us a better grip on just why Dr. Seuss has so thoroughly captured the imaginations of several generations of readers—and the imaginations of their parents. [...] Nel’s line-by-line annotations illuminate precisely how Seuss created his masterwork [...]. Showing us how Seuss worked—showing him assemble the cat line by line in ink and print—is the coolest gift this Annotated Cat could give us."

-- Malcolm Jones, Newsweek

• "Philip Nel has researched and assembled a scrapbook of fascinating historical tidbits."

-- The Poetry Foundation, which named The Annotated Cat a "Book Pick"

• "A must-read for the Seuss lover or hopeful children's writer."

-- Jamie Driggers, Armchair Interviews

• "Nel does a terrific job of supplying the backstory behind both the book and the man and explaining why and how Cat became a worldwide favorite."

-- Booklist

• "Nel's crowning achievement is that he keeps everything fun, not fusty or snooty. [...] The best fun in the book is watching Dr. Seuss at work through first drafts and rough coloured-pencil sketches."

-- Bruce Ward, The Ottawa Citizen

• "Nel proves that it is fun to take Seuss's work seriously. [...] The well-documented text includes original manuscripts, early sketches, and illustrations with detailed analysis and descriptions. This text is an excellent addition to any school or public library and is essential reading for all who work with youth, literacy, and literature."

-- Rebecca Sheridan, School Library Journal

• See a larger image of the cover.
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• Order the book from Rainy Day Books.
• Order the book from St. Mark's Bookshop.
• Dr. Seuss on the Web: A collection of links assembled by Philip Nel.
• English 680: Dr. Seuss (Spring 2007). A course taught by Philip Nel.

Crockett Johnson, Magic Beach. Appreciation by Maurice Sendak. Afterword by Philip Nel. Asheville, NC: Front Street, 2005. 64 pages.

• "The book, which was dear to Johnson's heart, was rejected by numerous publishers in the early 1960s.  [...] A foreword by Maurice Sendak and an afterword by Philip Nel offer fascinating glimpses both of Johnson and his attempts to get the book published.  [...]  Like the imaginative play of children, the book is mysterious and unexpected but always true to its own inner logic.  [...] The book itself is beautifully designed and produced, making it a pleasure to handle as well as read.  I think Crockett Johnson would approve."

-- Terri Schmitz, Horn Book

• "Issued [...] in 1965 as Castles in the Sand, with [...] illustrations by Betty Fraser, this philosophical tale appears here in its original form, beneath Johnson's own rough, expressive sketches -- sandwiched between an eloquent appreciation of both author and art by Maurice Sendak, and a publishing history by renowned scholar Philip Nel. [...] [A] handsomely packaged artifact for adult readers of children's literature."

-- Kirkus Reviews

• "The ingenious book design plays up the feel of an artist's sketchbook, and the spare pencil sketches (with even the artist's erasures in evidence) [...] give readers the feeling of peering over the artist's shoulder. The drawings introduce young Ann and Ben, outlined in the expressive line that Harold fans will recognize immediately. The children have only to write a word in the sand and the item appears before them, making an intriguing play on the notion of spelling and spells. [...] Like all great stories, this one stretches well beyond the pages. All ages."

-- Publishers Weekly

• "Bracketed by two insightful, informative gems for Johnson fans, a two-page 'appreciation' by Maurice Sendak and a four-page afterword on the book's history by Philip Nel, this handsome book is clearly aimed at adults as much as children. But whoever the audience, there is magic to be found in the words and sketches of Crockett Johnson."

-- Carolyn Phelan, Booklist

• See a larger image of the cover.
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• Visit my Crockett Johnson Homepage

Philip Nel, Dr. Seuss: American Icon. New York and London: Continuum Publishing, 2004. 320 pages, 33 illustrations.

• A Choice Magazine "Outstanding Academic Book of 2004"

• "even nonacademics will come away enlightened about the talented man who wanted to wake people up to events in the world and leave a moral legacy for children."

-- Booklist

• "definitive [...] comprehensive [...] will tell grown-ups more than they ever wanted to know about Dr. Seuss."

-- The Economist

• "Mr. Nel has done his homework [...] he draws on a wealth of esoteric knowledge"

-- The New York Sun

• See a larger image of the cover.
• Read Continuum Publishing's page.
• Buy the book via NPR: a portion of your purchase will benefit National Public Radio.
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• Buy the book from Rainy Day Books.
• Buy the book from St. Mark's Bookshop.
• Buy the book from Barnes and Noble.
• Dr. Seuss on the Web: A collection of links assembled by Philip Nel
• English 680: Dr. Seuss (Spring 2007). A course taught by Philip Nel.

Philip Nel, The Avant-Garde and American Postmodernity: Small Incisive Shocks. Jackson and London: University Press of Mississippi, 2002. 249 pages, 41 illustrations.

• "Nel is [...] equally at home in popular and university circles. [...] Happily, Nel exhibits these combined merits in user-friendly prose. The Avant-Garde and American Postmodernity is a provocative and appealing book."

-- Arthur Saltzman, symploké

• "a very good account of the avant-garde's shaping influence in American life and letters, one that raises many valuable questions."

-- Kenneth Kidd, Children's Literature

• "By stressing the stylistic continuities between modernism and postmodernism, Nel [...] not only undermines any reified notions of periodicity but reminds us that modernism, in its specifically avant-garde formulations, is still very much with us. That the homogeneity of our postmodern simulacrum is challenged by The Cat in the Hat and Two Bad Ants as well as Snow White or Underworld is good news indeed."

-- Norman Finkelstein, American Literature

• "Philip Nel's writing is a pleasure: lively clear, stylish, and free of unnecessary jargon. [...] The Avant-Garde and American Postmodernity: Small Incisive Shocks is a joy to read, raising, in true postmodernist fashion, as many questions as it answers."

-- Richard Flynn, The Children's Literature Association Quarterly

• See a larger image of the cover.
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• Read "'A small incisive shock': Modern Forms, Postmodern Politics, and the Role of the Avant-Garde in Don DeLillo's Underworld," which (in a revised form) appears as a chapter in this book.

Philip Nel, J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter Novels: A Reader's Guide. New York and London: Continuum Publishing, 2001. 96 pages.

• "the single best piece of literary criticism on the Potter series [...] Philip Nel is the best thing to happen so far to Harry Potter in the American classroom."

-- Jim Trelease, author of The Read-Aloud Handbook.

• "packs the most bang for your buck of all the about-Potter books."

-- Lana Whited, The Lion and the Unicorn

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• Buy the book from St. Mark's Bookshop.
• Read Continuum Publishing's page.
• Read the press release.
• Read Deirdre Donahue's "'Potter' inspires academic analysis," USA Today, 16 Nov. 2001, p. E3.
• Read Jim Trelease's review (scroll down to "Educators' Guide to Potter Series")
• Read other articles.
• J. K. Rowling on the Web: A collection of links assembled by Philip Nel

Crockett Johnson and Ruth Krauss: A Biography. Under contract with the University Press of Mississippi. Manuscript due Dec. 2008.

• Visit my Crockett Johnson Homepage
• Read my biographical essay on Crockett Johnson, which appears in issue no. 5 of Comic Art (February 2004). In addition to being the most thorough biography of Johnson ever published, the essay is fully illustrated (thanks to generous individuals and special collections). The issue is now out of print, but copies of it turn up on eBay from time to time.

• Read this issue (available to subscribers of ProjectMuse).

• Read this article (available to subscribers).

• Read this article (available to subscribers of ProjectMuse).