Recommended utopian books for kids

Group photo from utopian books for kids event, with author Lauren Tobia holding copies of her picture book Oscar's Tower of Flowers
Bristol Utopian Book Collective co-founder Rob Bryher, author and illustrator Lauren Tobia, and participants in our kids’ book event.

Bristol Utopian Book Collective recently hosted a children’s book group as part of the PRSC School of Activism. I selected Oscar’s Tower of Flowers by local Bristol author and illustrator Lauren Tobia as our book to discuss. Being up for a bit of activism, Tobia joined us for the event and talked us through the story of her beautiful wordless book.

As mother to a young child and a critic of literary eco-utopias, the two sometimes crossover when reading bedtime stories. Some seemingly innocent books are horrendous when seen through an ecocritical lens (I’m looking at you, Babar). Oscar’s Tower of Flowers, however, has so many reasons to recommend it.

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Literature and Activism: Octavia Butler, farming and community

The inside of a polytunnel with crops growing at the end of the season.
The inside of a polytunnel with crops growing at the end of the season.
The polytunnel, Long Ashton Growers, October 2021

The People’s Republic of Stokes Croft are putting together their School of Activism programme for April 2022. More news on this to follow! In the meantime, it’s got me thinking about literature and activism.

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Three utopian things bringing me joy this month

As I mentioned in my last post (the one before Rob Bryher’s article on car free cities and environmental justice), I haven’t been reading novels lately. Since admitting this, I’ve felt more able to focus on what I am currently enjoying in the world of utopia, and consciously taking pleasure from those things. This includes essays, online talks and events, and adding to my reading list for that future day when the book lust kicks in again. It’s a lesson in being led by what I enjoy. So here’s my round up of the utopian things bringing me joy this month.

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