Description
Book SynopsisThrough extensive archival research and a systematic study of sample programs from Sesame Street's first ten seasons, Morrow tells the story of Sesame Street's creation; the ideas, techniques, organization, and funding behind it; its place in public discourse; and its ultimate and unfortunate failure as an agent of commercial television reform.
Trade ReviewAn insightful look at American children's television. Library Journal 2005 [An] accessible, well-researched introduction to the people and principles behind the show's creation... Essential. Choice 2006 Any student of film, television, sociology and American history will find it intriguing and educational. California Bookwatch 2006 Morrow's engaging and straightforward book takes us back to that moment in the late 1960s when Sesame Street struggled into existence, and when programming was not yet brought to us by the letter 'S.' -- Nicholas Sammond American Historical Review 2007 Reading Morrow's account of the complex and discordant early years of Sesame Street was like reading the biography of a childhood friend. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media 2008
Table of ContentsPreface
Introduction
1. The Problem of Television and the Child Viewer
2. The Preschool Moment
3. "A New Bloom on the Wasteland"
4. The CTW Model
5. "The Itty Bitty Little Kiddy Show"
6. "Hope for a More Substantive Future"
7. "The Verdict on SESAME STREET"
Conclusion: The Many Faces of SESAME STREET
Notes
Essay on Sources
Index