The Pushcart War

Truck drivers use their size and might to push their way through the streets; they crash into pushcarts, destroying property and hurting peddlers. There's no graphic description, but we know that at least one peddler suffers a head injury, and several are hospitalized. The owner of a warehouse pelts policemen with bags of dried peas to keep them from entering his business. The pushcart peddlers use pea-shooters and pins to fight back against the big trucks.

Parents need to know that Jean Merrill's classic satire/political novel The Pushcart War, first published in 1964, uses a battle over space on New York City's streets as a metaphor for war. It's a relatively innocent, humorous look at the way adults, and countries, fight for territory and dominance, complete with government interference, David-and-Goliath weaponry, clandestine strategy meetings, and media influence. The book includes several violent acts, some more harmful than others; the most aggressive and frightening involves large trucks mowing down pushcart peddlers. No one dies, and there's no blood, but several people are injured. The seriocomic tale gives young readers a view of warfare's evils and complexities, and lessons about their world.