Overview
"It was all for a penny.
They left their cramped and crowded tenement apartments for a penny.
They scurried beside the pushcart peddlers for a penny.
They dodged street trolleys and horse drawn wagons for a penny.
And in the summer of 1899, Kid Blink, Race Track Higgins, Tiny Tim, Crutch Morris, and Crazy Arborn battled the world for a penny."
The story of the newsboys (and girls) who took on the world's most powerful press barons - and won.
In the summer of 1899, the hundreds of newsboys who sold Randolph Hearst's Journal and Pulitzer's World on the streets of New York and surrounding cities went on strike. The issue was a penny-the extra penny that the press owners wanted to charge the newsboys to buy the papers. To the press owners it didn't seem like much, but to the newsboys it was a living, and they fought. Led by kids with colorful names like Kid Blink, Race Track Higgins, Tiny Tim, and Crutch Morris, they refused to sell the papers, staged rallies-and finally brought the newspapers to the negotiating table.
Synopsis
"It was all for a penny.
They left their cramped and crowded tenement apartments for a penny.
They scurried beside the pushcart peddlers for a penny.
They dodged street trolleys and horse drawn wagons for a penny.
And in the summer of 1899, Kid Blink, Race Track Higgins, Tiny Tim, Crutch Morris, and Crazy Arborn battled the world for a penny."
The story of the newsboys (and girls) who took on the world's most powerful press barons - and won.
In the summer of 1899, the hundreds of newsboys who sold Randolph Hearst's Journal and Pulitzer's World on the streets of New York and surrounding cities went on strike. The issue was a penny-the extra penny that the press owners wanted to charge the newsboys to buy the papers. To the press owners it didn't seem like much, but to the newsboys it was a living, and they fought. Led by kids with colorful names like Kid Blink, Race Track Higgins, Tiny Tim, and Crutch Morris, they refused to sell the papers, staged rallies-and finally brought the newspapers to the negotiating table.
Publishers Weekly
Most of Brown's (Odd Boy Out, reviewed above) previous biographies have celebrated famous men and women. Here, the hero is a child. The son of poor immigrants, Kid Blink (so nicknamed, according to an endnote, for a blind eye) sells newspapers on New York City's streets. In the summer of 1899, when Mr. Pulitzer and Mr. Hearst raise the wholesale price for 10 copies of their papers (The World and The Journal) from five to six cents, Kid Blink and his fellow "newsies" decide to strike: "I'm trying to figure how ten cents on a hundred papers can mean more to a millionaire than it does to newsboys, an' I can't see it," Kid Blink says. "If they can't spare it, how can we?" The boy's public speeches unite hundreds of newsboys. Withstanding threats of violence and jail sentences, they stay true to their own code of chivalry ("A feller don't soak a lady," the hero tells newsies who threaten to steal papers from a woman's newsstand). In Brown's spreads and spot illustrations, draft horses, knickerbockers and bowler hats convey the flavor of life in the city more than 100 years ago. Brown's dreamy sepia washes soften scenes in which thugs hired by the newspaper magnates chase boys down alleys and policemen take children to jail. Although younger listeners may not fully understand the nature of the compromise that stopped the strike, they will be thrilled by the idea of a political movement which crowns an urban boy underdog as its leader, and by the sympathetic adults who shower Kid Blink and his friends with coins. Ages 5-9. (Sept.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Editorials
Publishers Weekly
Most of Brown's (Odd Boy Out, reviewed above) previous biographies have celebrated famous men and women. Here, the hero is a child. The son of poor immigrants, Kid Blink (so nicknamed, according to an endnote, for a blind eye) sells newspapers on New York City's streets. In the summer of 1899, when Mr. Pulitzer and Mr. Hearst raise the wholesale price for 10 copies of their papers (The World and The Journal) from five to six cents, Kid Blink and his fellow "newsies" decide to strike: "I'm trying to figure how ten cents on a hundred papers can mean more to a millionaire than it does to newsboys, an' I can't see it," Kid Blink says. "If they can't spare it, how can we?" The boy's public speeches unite hundreds of newsboys. Withstanding threats of violence and jail sentences, they stay true to their own code of chivalry ("A feller don't soak a lady," the hero tells newsies who threaten to steal papers from a woman's newsstand). In Brown's spreads and spot illustrations, draft horses, knickerbockers and bowler hats convey the flavor of life in the city more than 100 years ago. Brown's dreamy sepia washes soften scenes in which thugs hired by the newspaper magnates chase boys down alleys and policemen take children to jail. Although younger listeners may not fully understand the nature of the compromise that stopped the strike, they will be thrilled by the idea of a political movement which crowns an urban boy underdog as its leader, and by the sympathetic adults who shower Kid Blink and his friends with coins. Ages 5-9. (Sept.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.Children's Literature
The newspaper strike of 1899 may not have originated the saying "A penny saved is a penny earned," but the focus of this nonfiction picture book shows the power of a penny and children alike. A wonderfully-written and illustrated look at working children who challenged the mighty newspaper giants, The World and The Journal, during a time when a mere penny meant the difference between eating or not. Boys and girls, who were called "newsies," boycotted the sales of these newspapers when the owners wanted to charge them an extra penny to buy the papers they were selling. Because of their fierce determination and resolve, the newspaper giants agreed to a compromise that benefited everyone involved. The illustrations mirror the times with subdued water colors that complement and enrich the storyline. Readers of all ages will enjoy learning about a little known bit of 19th century history. Educators may also find this a valuable reference for teaching social studies in an engaging and entertaining format. 2004, Roaring Book Press, Ages 5 to 9.—Mary Forbes