loves them. Background and publication history Historical background Little Eva: The Flower of the South is an example of Anti-Tom literature, a literary movement created in response to Harriet Beecher Stowe's criticism of slavery in the United States in her 1852 novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. The Anti-Tom novel was preceded by the plantation novel, and while similar, they are separate types of literature. Slavery received a more "incidental treatment" in plantation literature, but was more prominently featured in Anti-Tom literature. Lisa Hinrichsen and Michael Pitts, writing for the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Literature, considered Little Eva: The Flower of the South one of the "key publications that serve to romanticize the South while condemning the abolitionist ideals of Stowe’s novel". Little Eva: The Flower of the South is one of the few instances of Anti-Tom children's literature. Prior to the book's release, its writer and publisher Philip J. Cozans already had an established reputation in children's literature, and was likely motivated by John P. Jewett's success publishing Uncle Tom's Cabin to release Little Eva: The Flower of the South and Little Eva, the First Book. In both of his Little Eva books, Cozans reimagined Little Eva, a minor Uncle Tom's Cabin character, as the protagonist. This character was invoked in both pro-slavery and anti-slavery works. Historian Robert D. Morritt remarked that the Little Eva from Stowe and Cozans were the same character "to a certain degree". Other children's books had also elevated the character to the lead role, including All about Little Eva, printed in 1853 by British publisher Partridge and Oakey. In his version, Cozans introduced the "Flower of the South" nickname for Little Eva, and made several revisions to her character. Unlike Uncle Tom's Cabin, Little Eva: The Flower of the South is set in Alabama rather than New Orleans, and Little Eva is rescued by Sam instead of Uncle Tom. Cozans aged up Little Eva from six-years-old to nine-years-old. Stowe and Cozans both characterized Little Eva through her kindness, but Cozans depicted her as not taking any issues with slavery. Publication history The exact publication date for Little Eva: The Flower of the South is unknown. Some scholars have placed it in either 1852 or 1853, while other estimate a larger range between 1855 and 1861 or more generally in the 1850s. Vincent Dill was the book's stereotyper, and its wood engravings were credited to J. Smith