approached the book as an "embattled text" instead. According to De Rosa, Little Eva can be understood as a "young abolitionist heroine" based on her decision to teach slaves. De Rosa said this in turn imbues the book with an "abolitionist impetus". De Rosa's reading was contested by children's literature professor Paula T. Connolly, who cited Sam's refusal to live as a freedman, as well as the descriptions of the slaves' happiness on the plantation, as contradictory evidence. Academic Marcus Wood wrote that, although Little Eva illegally teaches slaves, the book is still a "positive advertisement for the benign authoritarianism and Christianity of the slave system". Wood added that this proslavery message is clearly demonstrated through the descriptions of how the slaves idolize Little Eva. Notes References Footnotes Citations External links Little Eva on the Internet Archive 1850s children's books 1860s children's books 19th-century American novels American children's novels Anti-Tom novels Novels set in Alabama