Sunny Days: The Children's Television Revolution That Changed America (English Edition)

From bestselling writer David Kamp, the engrossing, behind-the-scenes story of the cultural heroes who created the beloved childrens TV programs Sesame Street, The Electric Company, Mister Rogers Neighborhood, Free to Be...You and Me, and Schoolhouse Rock!which collectively transformed American childhood for the better, teaching kids about diversity, the ABCs, and feminism through a fun, funky 1970s lens. In 1970, on a soundstage on Manhattans Upper West Side, a group of men, women, and Muppets of various ages and colors worked doggedly to finish the first season of a childrens TV program that was not yet assured a second season: Sesame Street. They were conducting an experiment to see if television could be used to better prepare disadvantaged preschoolers for kindergarten. What they didnt know then was that they were starting a cultural revolution that would affect all American kids. In Sunny Days, bestselling author David Kamp captures the unique political and social moment that gave us not only Sesame Street, but also Fred Rogerss gentle yet brave Mister Rogers Neighborhood; Marlo Thomass unabashed gender-politics primer Free to Be...You and Me; Schoolhouse Rock!, an infectious series of educational shorts dreamed up by Madison Avenue admen; and more, including The Electric Company, ZOOM, and Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids. It was a unique time when an uncommon number of media professionals and thought leaders leveraged their influence to help children learnand, just as notably, a time of unprecedented buy-in from American parents. Kamp conducted rigorous research and interviewed such Sesame Street figures as Joan Ganz Cooney, Lloyd Morrisett, Sonia Manzano, Emilio Delgado, Loretta Long, Bob McGrath, and Frank Oz, along with Free to Bes Marlo Thomas and The Electric Companys Rita Morenoand in Sunny Days, he explains how these and other like-minded individuals found their way into childrens television not for fame or money, but to make a difference. Fun, fascinating, and a masterful work of cultural history, Sunny Days captures a wondrous period in the US when a determined few proved that, with persistence and effort, they could change the lives of millions. Its both a rollicking ride through a turbulent time and a joyful testament to what Americans are capable of at their best.