The subject of Swortzell's book is a selection of plays created by the Children's Theatre units of the Federal Theatre Project. . . . Most of the six plays in Swortzell's anthology resonate with political messages integral to the post-Depression, post-World War I era. . . . Though some of the scripts, like Chorpenning's "A Letter to Santa Clause," which is an indictment of war, and Yasha Frank's "Pinocchio," which celebrates the rewards of a virtuous life, hammer away at theme to the point of becoming tedious, the plays written and performed during this brief heydey in the history of...