History of Children’s

Literature
Illustrations in children’s books reflect the
time period and the role of children and
the family in that time period.

• Early books for children were instructional

and usually written in Latin by religious
teachers.

• The books were meant to instruct and to

instill the principles of manners and
customs, morals and religious beliefs; they
were not meant to give delight.

• Stories of the 15th and 16th centuries were

mostly historical telling of King Arthur,
Adventures of Troy and Aesop’s Fables.
•This is an example of the
wood cut illustration found
in early printed books.
“This is the only recorded
copy of an undated edition
of Aesop's Fables printed
in Brescia, Italy about
1487. The image
illustrates the tale of the
‘Country Mouse and the
City Mouse,’ a well-known
fable that extols the joys
of the pastoral life and
warns of the risks of
urban living.”
During the 16th, 17th and 18th the English became the
“people of a book and that book was the Bible.”

• In a sincere desire to make children happy the

Puritans brooded on sin, eternal torment, and the
state of children’s souls.

• Unfortunately, the Puritan method of instilling

religious ideas was mainly through the use of fear –
the fear of Hell
•A Token for Children
published in 1728 “was
the most popular book of
moral instruction for
children in the 18th
century. It contained 22
examples of pious and
obedient children who
were well prepared for
the prospect of early
death and judgment.”
• ”A constant companion to beginning readers in
Colonial America, the hornbook was a popular
teaching aid in England during the 16th through the
18th century. The hornbook included the alphabet in
lower and upper case, vowels, and numerals,
accompanied by a cross ornament, the Benediction,
and the Lord’s prayer.”
• The first edition of Mother Goose appeared in
about 1785 in the United States, but it was
probably pirated from John Newbery’s edition
published in England.

• John Newbery, the first publisher of books for

children, is honored each year with the Newbery
Medal presented for the year’s most distinguished
book for children written by an American citizen or
resident and published in the United States.
•The American Library Association instituted a second
award – this one for the most distinguished picture book
for children published each year in the United States.
•It was named after Randolph Caldecott known for his
nursery toy books that were first published in 1878.
They were funny to children and adults. His
illustrations for a Mother Goose book also were some of
his most original and lovely creations.
• Grimm’s Fairy Tales (Jacob and Wilhelm) was
translated into English in 1823. The stories were
gathered from old storytellers and were very somber
and scary.

• Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tales appeared in

England in 1846. These were also adaptations of
stories heard from old storytellers, but Andersen
added his own fanciful inventions that enriched
children’s imaginations.

• One of the first fanciful pieces of literature for

children was “A visit from St. Nicholas” by Clement
Moore. It was published in 1822 and was actually a
long story poem.
• “One of only 5 known copies of this rare
American children’s book, published in
Baltimore around 1825, the Juvenile National
Calendar describes the duties and pay of
various government officials.”
•Marmaduke Multiply was printed in Boston in 1839
“Through charming verse and delightful illustrations
this book documents the emphasis on reading for
pleasure and entertainment rather than exclusively
for moral instruction.”
• “The first English masterpiece written for children
came in 1865 – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by
Charles Dodgson, who used the pen name of Lewis
Carroll.

• It was first told, and later written, solely for the

entertainment of children, and neither it nor its
sequel, Through the Looking Glass, has
the faintest trace of a moral or a
scrap of useful information or one
improving lesson – only cheerful
lunacy, daft, and delight”
 • 19th century illustrations will show the Victorian
structure of the family – the father is the central
figure with the rest of the family gathered around.
Stories of this time are very didactic and moralistic
because it was believed that children were easily led
astray.

The Children's object

book. London ; New
York : F. Warne & Co.,
[188-?]
• School Begins, copyright 1899. “Uncle Sam is
lecturing 4 children labeled Philippines, Hawaii,
Puerto Rico and Cuba in front of children holding
books labeled with various U.S. states. In the
background is an American Indian holding a book
upside down and a Chinese boy is at the door.”
• Early 20th century books begin to show a softer
version of children playing and reading though still
dressed very proper and stiff. In the 1920’s and
1930’s children were shown playing on their own and
were portrayed in more leisure activities.

Children of our town pictures by E. Mars and M.H.

Squire ; with verses by Carolyn Wells. New York :
R.H. Russell, 1902.
• By the 1940’s and 1950’s more humor and mischief
appeared in children’s books. Stories began to show
that the authors were willing to write about children’s
problems and negative aspects of their lives.

Johnny Tremain by Esther Charlotte’s Web by E. B.

Forbes, New York: Houghton White, New York:
Mifflin, 1943. HarperCollins, 1952.
• As the family structure began to change this was
reflected in the stories written in the 1960’s, 70’s and
80’s. Sometimes only a father and child were the
characters of the stories, other stories told of
divorced parents and newly blended families.

Bridge to Terabithia Sarah, Plain and Tall by

by Katherine Paterson. Patricia MacLachlan.
New York: Harper, New York: Harper & Row,
1977. 1985.
• The 1980’s also began to show ethnic differences in the
characters that were a reflection of the real world.

Lon Po Po: a red riding

hood story from China
translated and illustrated Mufaro’s beautiful
by Ed Young, New York : daughters: an African
Philomel Books, 1989 tale by John Steptoe,
New York : Lothrop, Lee
& Shepard Books, 1987
 Primary Sources
Photos and credits from The Library of Congress
http://www.loc.gov

20th century book covers and credits from Resource Sharing Alliance
http://carlweb.alsrsa.org:2000

Historical facts from Children & Books by Zena Sutherland, 9th ed., New
York: Longman, 1997.

Slide 3 - Picture of King Arthur

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Arthur

Slide 13 - Picture of White Rabbit

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~rgs/alice-table.html