1. History of Children’s
Literature
Presented by
Prof. T. Méndez
ENGL 3440 Children’s
Literature in English

2. Early Works
 Before the eighteenth century there
were no separate categories of books
for children.
 Early books for children were
strongly influenced by the
conservative English beliefs of the
seventeenth century.

3. Early Works
 Childrenwere seen as amoral savages
needing to be taught right from
wrong.
 Deathand damnation
 Humor and imagination banned

4. Early Works
 Johann Amos Comenius, 1592-1670
 Joh. Amos Comenii Orbis Sensualium Pictus. London:
Printed for S. Leacroft, 1777.
 Translated as “The Visible World” or “The World Around Us
in Pictures, was the first European schoolbook based on the
idea of visual education.
 This book is generally considered to be the first
picture book specifically for children.

5. Early Works
 John Bunyan, 1628-1688
 The Pilgrim’s Progress: From this World
to that which is to Come
 This powerful religious allegory of man’s
quest for salvation is one of the most
influential books in English literature.

6. Early Works
 John Foxe, 1516-1587
 Actsand Monuments of Matters Most
Special and Memorable, Happening in the
Church
 Oneof the most widely-read books in
England

7. Early Works
 Daniel Defoe, 1661-1731
 TheLife and Strange Surprising
Adventures of Robinson Crusoe
 Considered one of the first English Novels

8. Early Works
A Little Pretty Pocket-book:
Intended for the Instruction and
Amusement of Little Mater Tommy,
and Pretty Miss Polly
 Firstpublished in English in 1744 by
John Newbury
 Considered the first children’s book

9. Early Works
 Historyof Goody Two Shoes.
Baltimore: Bayly and Burns, 1837
 Thought to be the first piece of original
English fiction written to amuse children.
 Originally published by John Newbury in
1765.
 Authorship is attributed to the English
poet Oliver Goldsmith.

10. Early Works
 Maria Edgeworth, 1767-1849
 Frank and the Farmer. Troy, N.Y.:
Merriam & Moore, circa 1850.
 TheIrish author Maria Edgeworth was
one of the earliest and most important
woman writers for children.

11. Early Works
 Isaac Watts, 1674-1748
 Divine Songs Attempted in Easy
Language for the Use of children,
first published in 1715 was one of the
first books expressly written for
children.

12. Early Works - Chapbooks
 Chapbooks were small inexpensive
stitched tracts sold by itinerant
merchants or chapmen, in western
Europe and North America from the
seventeenth to the early nineteenth
century.

15. Chapbooks
 The Pleasant and Delightful History of
Jack and the Giants. Nottingham: Printed
for the Running Stationers, 1790.
 Famous Exploits of Robin Hood: Including
an Account of his Birth, Education, and
Death. Penrith [England]: Joseph Allison,
circa 1800.

16. Chapbooks
 The Renowned History of Richard Whittington and
his Cat. New-Haven: Sidney's Press, 1826.
 History of the Sleeping Beauty in the Wood.
Glasgow: Printed for the booksellers, 1852
 The Polish General, and Faithful Servant: to which
is added The Wonderful Deliverance of a Soldier.
Norwich: Printed by J. Payne, circa 1800.

17. Fables
 Aesop’s Fables
 Earliest written stories known to
children
 Sir Roger L’Estrange, 1616-1704
 Fables of Aesop: and other eminent
mythologists: with morals and reflexions
 L’Estrange added “reflections” which further
discussed the moral issues involved in the
stories.

18. Fables
 The Childs Illuminated Fable-book -
William Smith, 1847
 The use of chromolithography and the
pseudo-mediaeval design reflects the craze
of the middle of the nineteenth century
for ornate gift books. Improvements in
color printing technology made it possible
to produce multicolored plates
inexpensively.

19. Fairy Tales
 Fairytales, which were passed down
from generation to generation
through oral tradition, were first
collected and published in France in
the seventeenth century.

20. Fairy Tales
 Cinderella
 Sleeping Beauty
 Red Riding Hood
 Puss in Boots
 All derived from the “Tales of Long Ago”
collected by Charles Perault in 1697.
 Later on other versions of these stories
were presented in different forms.

21. Fairy Tales
 Jacob Grimm, 1785 - 1863
 The Brothers Grimm collected and
published German Popular Stories between
1812 and 1822
 They collected over 200 stories from
friends, storytellers and old books
 Stories generally ended happily but filled
with violence and trickery.

22. Books of Instruction
 In eighteenth century books for children,
the main concern was imparting religious
and moral instruction and a code of social
behavior.
 By the beginning of the nineteenth century,
there was a movement to extend the child’s
education.

23. Books of Instruction
 Books began to appear in the homes
of the growing middle class.
 The books often used a
conversational approach of question
and answer.
 Used as a monologue on the part of
the adult.

24. Primers
 Originally the name of a prayer book
 Simple books for teaching children
letters, prayers and simple subjects.

25. Primers
 Reproduction of a Horn Book. Boston:
Printed by Otto H. Miller. Miller for
the Horn Book, 1939.
 The hornbook was the earliest form
of children’s primer in England and
America from the late 16th to the
late 18th century.

26. Primers
A sheet containing the letters of the
alphabet, simple words, and a Bible
verse was mounted on a wooden frame
and protected with thin, transparent
plates of horn.

28. Primers
 My Little Primer. Worcester: S.A.
Howland, 1800.
 The verses in this small book include
“Mary Had a Little Lamb” and “The
Lord’s Prayer”.

29. Primers
 The New Fun with Dick and Jane.
Chicago: Scott, Foresman and Co.,
1956.
 From the 1930s to the 1960s, Dick
and Jane books were synonymous with
learning to read.

30. Pop-up and Movable Books
 The books were called “harlequinades”
due to the appearance of the
Harlequin character in early versions
first appearing during the
seventeenth century.

31. Stories: Before 1850
 Religious books
 Requiring a stated moral perspective
 Fairy tales and folk tales considered a
threat to moral order
 Literature developed to ensure children’s
reading would reflect the conservative
Protestantism of the time.

32. Stories: After 1850
 Golden age of Children’s Literature in
England and the United States.
 Great writers teamed with great
illustrators
 Industrial revolution led to advances in
printing.
 Growing middle class increase interest in
education, expanded audience for
children’s books.

33. Stories: After 1850
 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Caroll
 Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
 The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - Mark
Twain
 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn -
Mark Twain
 The Jungle Book - Rudyard Kipling

34. Stories: After 1850
 The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - L.
Frank Baum
 Robin Hood and the Men of the Green
Wood - Henry Gilbert
 Treasure Island - Robert Louis
Stevenson
 Jumanji - Chris Van Allsburg

35. The Book Awards
 The Newbery Medal
 Winners chosen every year by the Association
for Library Service to Children
 Established in 1922
 The Oldest award for children’s books.
 Awarded to the author of the most
distinguished contribution to American
literture

36. The Book Awards
 The Randolph J. Caldecott Medal
 Established in 1938
 Awarded to the most distinguished
American picture book for children