Children's literature has always been produced by radicals and reformers. Critical analysis of their views and methods is a fascinating and increasingly contested new field. Bringing together a range of perspectives from established academics, well-known children's writers and students of children's literature, this collection provides an unusual and challenging read. Whether you are interested in how writers present the lives of working children in nineteenth-century America, how picture books challenge and subvert the political stance of contemporary Australia, or how issues in Kenya or Palestine can become the material of children's fiction, there are plenty of ideas to explore. The Sands of Time was the third in a series of conferences at the University of Hertfordshire. Dedicated to the critical exploration and significance of children's literature, the series has so far embraced the perspectives of Marxism (Owners of the Means of Instruction, 2006) and psychoanalysis (The Story and the Self, 2007). This third conference, dedicated to culture, politics and identity, sought to locate children's literature in the changing landscape of politics, and to examine the ways in which writing for children is used to induct, coerce and indoctrinate as well as to educate and inform. Together, these volumes offer a valuable resource to students, teachers and lovers of children's books alike.