A Brief Account of

1
A Brief Account of
Children's Literature

• Timeline of Important Works

• I. Early Literature/Oral Tradition Literature
  began as an oral tradition. Storytelling was
  popular among ancient peoples, to entertain
  everyone, not just children, and to explain
  natural phenomena. Myths, epics, legends, folk
  tales, and fables were passed down to each
  generation and many were later written down.
  Such stories are still enjoyed by children today.
• Why do these early stories have so many
  similarities? Two theories
• Monogenesis -- single origin. Stories were
  spread as people migrated, traveled, traded
• Polygenesis multiple origins. Similar stories
  were made up by different tellers. Early humans
  shared the same curiosity about origin, self,
  universe, so stories are similar

1484 Aesops Fables first printed by William
Caxton, Englands first printer 15th-18th C.
Hornbooks 1580s Chapbooks included Who Killed
Cock Robin and Jack the Giant Killer 17th C.
Battledores 1641 Spiritual Milk for Boston
Babes in Either England by John Cotton, the first
childrens book published in America. Used to
teach the Bible and Puritan morals 1659 Orbis
Sensualium Pictus by John Amos Comenious. A
Latin primer (written in English and Latin)
considered to be the first childrens picture
book 1683 The New England Primer, a concept
book used to teach reading 1697 Charles
Perraults Tales of Mother Goose, containing
Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Little Red
Riding Hood. Originally written for the French
court (adults) 1719 Daniel Defoes Robinson
Crusoe (written for adults, but acquired by
children) 1726 Jonathan Swifts Gullivers
Travels (written for adults, but acquired by
children) 1744 John Newbery publishes A Little
Pretty Pocket Book, specifically for
children 1765 John Newbery publishes The
Renowned History of Little Goody Two Shoes,
considered the first childrens novel 1774
Tommy Thumbs Pretty Storybook, the first known
collection of nursery rhymes 1812 Grimms
Nursery and Household Tales published in Germany,
including Snow While, Hansel and Gretel,
Rumpelstiltskin (not specifically for
children) 1835-1872 Fairy Tales and Stories by
Hans Christian Andersen. Numerous volumes
contain 350 fairy tales. For children and
adults. 1837-1901 Victorian Era -- Considered
the Golden Age of Childrens Literature 1846
Edward Lears Book of Nonsense limericks 1851
Norwegian Folktales, including Three Billy Goats
Gruff 1865 Alices Adventures in Wonderland,
Lewis Carrolls modern English fantasy 1868
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, realistic
depiction of Victorian family life
The fables of Aesop, a 6th Century B.C. Greek
slave, use personified animals to convey moral
teachings. These fables were preserved in
writing by ancient historians and continued to be
told orally for centuries. First printed in
1484, these stories are still popular today.
II. Middle Ages Childhood was short and not
given much attention. Very little literature was
available for children, except didactic texts
written in Latin. Children, however, enjoyed
adult works like Beowulf, Robin Hood, King Arthur
and the Knights of the Round Table, the Odyssey,
and continued to enjoy myths, folk tales, and
fables. Toward the end of the Middle Ages,
hornbooks appeared. A sheet of paper (which was
very expensive) with the alphabet, the Lords
Prayer, and other instructional material was
affixed to a wooden slate with a handle. A
transparent covering made of cow horn was used to
protect the paper.

• III. 16th to Early 18th Centuries Puritan
  influences kept childrens literature didactic
  and religious. Secular or popular stories for
  children were discouraged. Children did,
  however, continue to read works written for
  adults. Chapbooks began to appear around 1580.
  These cheap paper booklets were sold by peddlers
  and contained popular stories. With paper
  becoming less expensive in the 17th Century,
  battledores began to replace hornbooks. These
  pamphlet-style books usually contained the
  alphabet, prayers, beginning words, and
  illustrations. At the end of the 18th Century,
  Charles Perrault published his collection of
  folktales, although these stories were intended
  for the enjoyment of the French court, not
  children.

2

• Timeline, Continued
• 1870 Jules Vernes Twenty Thousand Leagues
  Under the Sea
• 1871 Edward Lears poem The Owl and The
  Pussycat
• 1876 Mark Twains Adventures of Tom Sawyer
• 1878 British illustrator Randolph Caldecotts
  The House that Jack Built and The Diverting
  History of John Gilpin released for Christmas.
  Caldecott illustrates two books for Christmas for
  the next seven years
• 1879 First of Joel Chandler Harriss Uncle
  Remus stories published
• 1880 Robert Louis Stevensons Treasure Island
• 1880 Heidi, a realistic novel by Johanna Spyri
  from Switzerland
• 1881 The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo
  Collodi published in Italy
• 1885 Robert Louis Stevensons collection of
  poems celebrating childhood, A Childrens Garden
  of Verses
• 1890 Joseph Jacobs adapts folk and fairy tales
  for a child audience in English Fairy Tales,
  including The Three Bears and The Three Little
  Pigs. Four more collections appear in the next
  four years.
• 1894 Joseph Jacobss The Fables of Aesop
• 1894 Rudyard Kiplings The Jungle Book, set in
  India.
• 1900 L. Frank Baums The Wonderful Wizard of
  Oz, the first American childrens fantasy
• 1901 Beatrix Potters classic picture book, The
  Tale of Peter Rabbit
• 1908 The Wind in the Willows, an animal fantasy
  by Kenneth Grahame
• 1908 First in the Anne of Green Gables series
  by Canadian writer Lucy Maud Montgomery
• 1910 Realistic fantasy The Secret Garden by
  Francis Burnet

IV. 18th and Early 19th Centuries Romanticism
overshadowed the Age of Reason and the real
beginnings of childrens literature emerged.
People began to regard childhood as important and
were more open to literature meant specifically
for children. In 1744, John Newbery became the
first publisher to devote himself entirely to
childrens literature. He also was the first to
publish literature meant to entertain, as well as
teach, children. His first book, A Little Pretty
Pocket Book, was even sold with a ball for boys
and pincushion for girls. It also contained a
letter from Jack the Giant Killer. At this time,
illustrations were few and often very crude
wood-block types. Expense of printing and lack
of interest in childrens literature kept serious
artists away. V. Victorian Era (1836 to 1901)
This time period is considered the Golden Age of
childrens literature. Childrens literature
flourished during this time, and many of these
works of fantasy, realism, and adventure are
still popular today. While the first serious
childrens literature of the previous century was
intended both to instruct and entertainment,
Alices Adventures in Wonderland began the trend
of literature purely for enjoyment, not
instruction. Novels of this period are often
characterized as domestic or girls stories and
adventure or boys stories. By the end of the
19th Century, illustrators were creating
beautifully illustrated childrens books, in part
due to cheaper printing techniques. Notably,
Randolph Caldecott, Kate Greenaway, and Walter
Crane were three major British illustrators whose
work was very influential. VI. 20th Century and
Beyond Childrens literature exploded. With
greater diversity in genre and style, children in
the early 20th century had plenty to choose from
picture books, poetry, fantasy, biography,
informational and realism. Emphasis was placed
on quality literature, although plenty of formula
fiction was and is produced. This century also
saw libraries dedicating entire sections to
childrens literature. Numerous awards were
established for excellence in childrens
literature, including the Newbery Medal, the
Caldecott Medal, the Carnegie Medal, the Hans
Christian Andersen Medal, the Laura Ingalls
Wilder Award, and the Coretta Scott King
Award. In the last half of the 20th Century,
realistic fiction dealing with sensitive issues
became a significant trend in childrens
literature, such as books by Judy Blume, Phyllis
Reynolds Naylor, Robert Cormier, and Katherine
Paterson. Many of these books received awards and
challenges. As the 20th Century closed and the
21st began, literary criticism and the study of
childrens literature emerged.