Jean Merrill (1923–2012)

The first children's history of The Pushcart War - a fierce battle for control of the streets of New York City, waged between the city's pushcart peddlers and the trucking companies that want to put them out of business - this epic volume is by turns hilarious and heartwarming. The conflict all begins with the Daffodil Massacre, in which impatient trucker Albert P. Mack runs down peddler Morris the Florist on March 15th, 2026, destroying his cart and sending the man himself flying into a show more pickle barrel. Things only heat up from there, as the city's citizens, sick of the terrible traffic in their town, look for someone to hold responsible for the unending congestion, while the Big Three - owners of the city's three largest trucking companies - look for ways to make the pushcart peddlers the target of the public's ire, and to push them off the streets through brute force. The peddlers launch their own secret offensive, using pea-shooters to cause a massive number of flat tires and breakdowns, hoping to draw the public's attention to the real cause of the city's congestion. Inevitably, the conflict between peddlers and truckers eventually spills out into the public view, involving police, politicians, and everyday citizens - including children. In the end, despite being far fewer in number than their adversaries, the peddlers triumph in their effort to preserve their livelihood, and free the city from the tyranny of the truckers.

Originally published in 1964 and set in 1976, republished in 1974 and set in 1986, republished again in 1985 and set in 1996, and finally published in this 50th Anniversary Edition in 2014, and set in 2026, The Pushcart War is a delightful children's novel, one presented as if it were a history of a past event that occurred some years after the date of publication. Although this structure sounds rather convoluted, somehow the whole thing just works. I enjoyed everything about this book, from the overarching story, in which the little guy triumphs in the face of big business, in collusion with government, to the rich cast of quirky but lovable characters. General Anna, Mr. Jerusalem, Maxxie the Pushcart King! - they all come alive in Jean Merrill's story. I loved the New York setting, and found the social commentary both amusing and on point. I liked that the police were honest, and uncowed by the politicians, that the peddlers were concerned with defending their rights, but didn't want to trample on the rights of even their adversaries. Most of all, I just liked the wonderful sense of humor evident throughout the story, and also in the accompanying illustrations by Ronni Solbert. There are so many wonderful details here - both author and illustrator are credited with letters to the editor, in one part of the story - that all combine to create a wonderful book. Recommended to anyone looking for humorous children's stories that address issues of fairness in the public sphere, and the question of activism and standing up for what's right, even when one's opponent is powerful and influential. show less

Do you know the history of the pushcart war? The REAL history? It's a story of how regular people banded together and, armed with little more than their brains and good aim defeated a mighty foe.

Not long ago the streets of New York City were smelly, smoggy, sooty, and loud. There were so many trucks making deliveries that it might take an hour for a car to travel a few blocks. People blamed the truck owners and the truck owners blamed the little wooden pushcarts that traveled the city show more selling everything from flowers to hot dogs. Behind closed doors the truck owners declared war on the pushcart peddlers. Carts were smashed from Chinatown to Chelsea. The peddlers didn't have money or the mayor on their side, but that didn't stop them from fighting back. They used pea shooters to blow tacks into the tires of trucks, they outwitted the police, and they marched right up to the grilles of those giant trucks and dared them to drive down their streets. Today, thanks to the ingenuity of the pushcart peddlers, the streets belong to the people--and to the pushcarts. show less

I was so excited to read The Pushcart War on the recommendation of a good friend with impeccable taste, and I couldn't help picking it up far sooner than I planned. Besides the great merit of my friend's recommendation, I knew I was going to love the book as soon as I peeked at the beginning. I was already grinning and laughing during the clever, tongue-in-cheek foreword and introduction. Both were, clever, hilarious, and utterly awesome, and the rest of the book was just as hilarious and show more amazing. As a bonus, my younger siblings loved the book when I gave it to them before reading it myself. My teenaged brother read it in a single evening and raved about it, spurring me to read it even sooner, and began reading it aloud to our elementary-aged youngest sister as soon as he had finished it himself.

Well, the book more than lived up to all that hype and expectation! I loved it even more than I'd hoped.

I laughed my way through the entire book, chuckling or guffawing out loud countless times. It's a hysterically funny book--and a wonderful, entertaining story. The clever wit, tongue-in-cheek satire, humor, and puns throughout had me laughing out loud every page or two. I love the framing device of the story that the author uses to explain her role in writing it--the pretend premise the author keeps from the beginning of the book. It's hilarious and so clever, but I won't spoil what it is.

It's also incredibly clever and intelligent, and I'm amazed at the author's masterful ability to fulfill the purpose of the book--to portray how wars work in a way anyone can understand. It kept blowing my mind as I read. I admire her ability to simplify the complex events of every war that's ever occurred, and portray them in a way that is incredibly simple and easy to understand--showing all of it by an incredibly funny and engaging story, and teaching important, valuable lessons in the process. I'm in awe. I definitely better understand how war works after reading this book, even as an adult and lover of history. I kept thinking about various aspects of World War II as I read, since the book mirrors it so well. The author must understand these things so well to be able to teach it in such an accessible way, and her wisdom shines clearly throughout the book.

I loved the characters so much, and heroes and villains alike were fabulously unique and well-developed. Each character was vivid and lifelike, and I enjoyed every single one. I adored each one of the pushcart peddlers and their allies--who were sweet, endearing, and spirited. I gladly cheered them on and rooted for them to win against the evil bad guys. And the antagonistic characters were each despicable to varying degrees, understandable, and well-rounded--never one-dimensional. They really demonstrated how figures of corrupt power work, with manipulation, lies, and brute force. Also, I really, really enjoyed the author's fabulous portrayal of wonderful female characters along with the very awesome male characters--the women had just as huge and strong and important and integral a role as the men, and the men actively showed respect and equality towards them, which is very nice to see. In addition, the children in the book are given an active, essential, and exciting role that young readers will delight in, even if most of the characters and important roles are adults.

In all, The Pushcart War was amazing, hilarious, fun, clever, witty, heartwarming, satirical, wise, exciting, intelligent, hysterically funny, and riotously entertaining. It became a new favorite of mine as soon as I read it, and I easily and immediately decided to give it five full stars without a bit of my usual hesitation and deliberation. I only wish I had known about it as a kid, but better late than never--and I'm glad my siblings can enjoy it at a young age, even if I couldn't. show less

After several years of shelving in a public library and reading snatches of this wonderful book when I was supposed to be putting it away, I finally sat down and read it cover to cover. I have no idea why I never did before. I've loved Merrill's The Pushcart War for many years, and this story has that same whimsical, quietly funny atmosphere.

Kate MacKinstrey has just moved to a new city and started going to school there. This sounds dreadfully clichéd in a book for young people, but it's show more mentioned almost in passing. One day on her way to school, Kate bumps into a very interesting boy on the street, Rufus. He helps her pick up all her scattered books and offers to help her make a bike sling for them like his, out of material from the Salvation Army store. Bemused, Kate visits Rufus after school, having stopped by the Salvation Army. Within an hour he had stitched up a bike sling for her books, and they were friends.

What the story is about, however, is Rufus' crazy, brilliant idea to make his own toothpaste. He was astounded that toothpaste would cost 79 cents in the store when all you had to do was mix up a little bicarbonate of soda and use it on your toothbrush. He flatly refused to buy toothpaste ever again, and started making his own. But of course, the batch he made was much more than he and his family could use. So he started selling it in baby food jars, for 3 cents a jar. One thing led to another, and within a year the children were in big business.

The story is told by Kate, and her tone is so wryly humorous. How can you resist a narrator who writes, "If you've ever had a brother who's crazy about model cars, you know his conversation isn't very interesting. You can't even understand it. It's all about camshafts and gear ratios and rpm's." Too funny! I have such a brother myself.

I appreciated how race issues were handled in this story. It was very unobstrusive that Kate was white and Rufus (and most everyone else in the neighborhood) was black. Kate writes about Rufus, "One of the nice things about Rufus is this. He doesn't seem to mind that I'm white and he's black. He doesn't even mind that I'm a girl." This feels very realistic coming from children. They know the difference is there, but it doesn't matter in the least.

I feel that I haven't done this book justice in my review. It really is a great little story and the characters are so well-drawn. And the plot itself is quite engaging. I can't wait to share this book with my children and enjoy it together. Highly recommended! show less