Philip W. Nel (born March 29, 1969) is an American scholar of children's literature and University Distinguished Professor of English at

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public inst ...

. He is best known for his work on

Dr. Seuss Theodor Seuss Geisel (;"Seuss"
'' Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are students at ...

'', which has led to him being a guest on such media programs as ''

CBS Sunday Morning ''CBS News Sunday Morning'' (normally shortened to ''Sunday Morning'' on the program itself since 2009) is an American news magazine television program that has aired on CBS since January 28, 1979. Created by Robert Northshield and original hos ...

'',

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

's ''

Morning Edition ''Morning Edition'' is an American radio news program produced and distributed by NPR. It airs weekday mornings (Monday through Friday) and runs for two hours, and many stations repeat one or both hours. The show feeds live from 5:00 to 9:00 A ...

,'' ''

Talk of the Nation ''Talk of the Nation'' (''TOTN'') is an American talk radio program based in Washington D.C., produced by National Public Radio ( NPR) that was broadcast nationally from 2 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time. It focused on current events and controversial i ...

,'' and CNN's '' Don Lemon Tonight.''

Background

Philip W. Nel was born on March 29, 1969, in Massachusetts. He received his B.A. from the

University of Rochester The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The University of ...

in 1992, and his M.A. and Ph.D. from

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

in 1993 and 1997, respectively. He married Karin Westman on May 24, 1997. In response to the question of why he writes about what he does, Nel told ''

Contemporary Authors ''Contemporary Authors'' is a reference work which has been published by Gale since 1962. It provides short biographies and bibliographies of contemporary and near-contemporary writers. ''Contemporary Authors'' does not have selective inclusion c ...

'', "To study children's literature is to be reminded of why reading (and re-reading) is fun, but it is also to see how complex and interesting supposedly 'simple' books really are. And that's fun, too."

Career

Nel began his teaching career while he was a graduate student at Vanderbilt. He continued there as an adjunct professor for a year before moving on to the

College of Charleston The College of Charleston (CofC or Charleston) is a public university in Charleston, South Carolina. Founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, it is the oldest university in South Carolina, the 13th oldest institution of higher learning in the Unit ...

for two years. In 2000, he began teaching at Kansas State as an assistant professor, then as associate professor in 2005. In 2006 he was appointed Director of the Program in Children's Literature at Kansas State, was made Professor in 2008, and University Distinguished Professor in 2013. Twelve years in the making, Nel's biography of

Crockett Johnson Crockett Johnson (October 20, 1906 – July 11, 1975) was the pen name of the American cartoonist and children's book illustrator David Johnson Leisk. He is best known for the comic strip '' Barnaby'' (1942–1952) and the ''Harold'' series of boo ...

and Ruth Krauss was published in 2012 from the University Press of Mississippi. In 2013, Fantagraphics published the first volume of ''Crockett Johnson's Barnaby'' — for which he is serving as a co-editor and providing biographical essays.

Works

*''Keywords for Children's Literature.'' Second Edition. Co-edited with Lissa Paul and Nina Christensen. NYU Press, 2021. *''Crockett Johnson's Barnaby, Volume Four: 1948-1949.'' Co-edited with Eric Reynolds (comics). Foreword by Trina Robbins. Essays by Jared Gardner and Stephen Becker. Essay and Notes by Nel. Seattle: Fantagraphics Books, 2020. *''Was the Cat in the Hat Black?: The Hidden Racism of Children's Literature, and the Need for Diverse Books.'' New York and London: Oxford University Press, 2017. *''Crockett Johnson's Barnaby, Volume Three: 1946-1947.'' Co-edited with Eric Reynolds (comics). Foreword by Jeff Smith (cartoonist). Essays by Nathalie op de Beeck and

Coulton Waugh Frederick Coulton Waugh (; 10 March 1896 – 23 May 1973) was a cartoonist, painter, teacher and author, best known for his illustration work on the comic strip ''Dickie Dare'' and his book ''The Comics'' (1947), the first major study of the fi ...

. Essay and Notes by Nel. Seattle: Fantagraphics Books, 2016. *''Crockett Johnson's Barnaby, Volume Two: 1944-1945.'' Co-edited with Eric Reynolds (comics). Foreword by

Jules Feiffer Jules Ralph Feiffer (born January 26, 1929)''Comics Buyer's Guide'' #1650; February 2009; Page 107 is an American cartoonist and author, who was considered the most widely read satirist in the country. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1986 as North- ...

. Essays by R. C. Harvey and Max Lerner. Essay and Notes by Nel. Seattle: Fantagraphics Books, 2014. *''Crockett Johnson's Barnaby, Volume One: 1942-1943.'' Co-edited with Eric Reynolds (comics). Foreword by

Chris Ware Franklin Christenson "Chris" Ware (born December 28, 1967) is an American cartoonist known for his '' Acme Novelty Library'' series (begun 1994) and the graphic novels ''Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth'' (2000), ''Building Stories'' (201 ...

. Essays by

Jeet Heer Jeet Heer is a Canadian author, comics critic, literary critic and journalist. He is a national affairs correspondent for '' The Nation'' magazine and a former staff writer at '' The New Republic''. As of 2014, he was writing a doctoral thesis at ...

and

Dorothy Parker Dorothy Parker (née Rothschild; August 22, 1893 – June 7, 1967) was an American poet, writer, critic, and satirist based in New York; she was known for her wit, wisecracks, and eye for 20th-century urban foibles. From a conflicted and unhap ...

. Essay and Notes by Nel. Seattle: Fantagraphics Books, 2013. *''Crockett Johnson and Ruth Krauss: How an Unlikely Couple Found Love, Dodged the FBI, and Transformed Children's Literature.'' Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2012. *''Keywords for Children's Literature.'' Co-edited with Lissa Paul. NYU Press, 2011. *''Tales for Little Rebels: A Collection of Radical Children's Literature.'' Co-edited with Julia Mickenberg. Foreword by

Jack Zipes Jack David Zipes (born June 7, 1937) is a professor emeritus of German, comparative literature, and cultural studies, who has published and lectured on German literature, critical theory, German Jewish culture, children's literature, and folklore. ...

. NYU Press, 2008. *''The Annotated Cat: Under the Hats of Seuss and His Cats.'' New York: Random House, 2007. *''Dr. Seuss: American Icon.'' New York and London: Continuum Publishing, 2004. *''The Avant-Garde and American Postmodernity: Small Incisive Shocks.'' Jackson and London: University Press of Mississippi, 2002. *''J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter Novels: A Reader's Guide.'' New York and London: Continuum Publishing, 2001. *Afterword to Crockett Johnson's ''Magic Beach.'' Appreciation by

Maurice Sendak Maurice Bernard Sendak (; June 10, 1928 – May 8, 2012) was an American author and illustrator of children's books. He became most widely known for his book '' Where the Wild Things Are'', first published in 1963.Turan, Kenneth (October 16, 20 ...

. Asheville, NC: Front Street, 2005.

References

Sources

"Celebrating the 100th Birthday of Dr. Seuss: A New Book Looks Back at the Life of Theodor Geisel,"
Talk of the Nation, NPR, 10 Feb. 2004.

2008.

2008. *Lynn Neary
"Fifty Years of the Cat in the Hat"
Morning Edition, NPR, 1 Mar. 2007. *"Philip Nel," Department of English, Kansas State University

*"Philip Nel," K-State Media Guid

*Tom Spurgeon
"Cushlamochree! Fantagraphics Nabs Collected Barnaby; Dan Clowes To Design Long-Anticipated Project"
The Comics Reporter, 2 Dec. 2010. {{DEFAULTSORT:Nel, Philip 1969 births American academics of English literature Kansas State University faculty Living people Vanderbilt University alumni