History of literature for children
The field of children's literature, as all literature, grows out of the oral tradition. Pre-literate peoples gathered around the fire to hear storytellers spin tales that would teach and entertain. Many of these storytellers had priestlike powers, as they were charged with keeping an exact account of history alive within their minds and passing this history along to succeeding generations.
The oral tradition continued in the courts and cottages of the Middle Ages, as minstrels and balladeers roamed the countryside sharing popular tales that were later recorded by the Brothers Grimm. Even after William Caxton established a printing press in England in 1476, the oral tradition continued, with an emphasis on both entertainment and instruction. The first children's books were published solely with instructional intent, and the content was usually religious, with horribly didactic titles such as A Token for Children of New-England, or Some Examples of Children in Whom the Fear of God Was Remarkably Budding before They Died.
Among the first nonreligious books published for children were chapbooks, small and crudely printed books that were sold by 17th- and 18th-century street vendors. These roughly illustrated, eight-page books had stories about the adventures of Robin Hood and other popular tales with appeal to a young audience. Mother Goose rhymes and fairy tales also found their way into print in the 1700s.
The beginning of "children's literature" is said to have begun in 1744 with the publication of A Pretty Little Pocketbook by John Newbery, the man for whom the Newbery Medal is named. Newbery's book was the first that was specifically written and published to entertain and amuse young children. Other books designed for children followed, and while a didactic focus remained, a body of literature designed for a young audience began to emerge.
The 19th century saw tremendous growth in books written for children. Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm recorded the old stories that had been popular in Europe for so long. Hans Christian Andersen wrote his famous fairy tales. American authors like Washington Irving and Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote stories that were popular with youngsters. Although the moralistic trend continued in many books, a growing number of books with no didactic or moralistic intent were written solely to entertain. Louisa May Alcott's Little Women and Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn appeared toward the end of the century. Jules Verne introduced his popular science fiction stories; Rudyard Kipling wrote his famous animal stories; Lewis Carroll wrote the fantasy Alice's Adventures in Wonderland; Edward Lear produced his humorous limericks. These and other books were written and illustrated solely to entertain readers, young and old alike.
In the 1800s, colour was introduced in printing, and illustrators began to gain recognition. Pictures were transformed from rough woodcuts and sketches to works of art capturing the mood and tone of the stories and the storytellers. In the 20th century children's literature has truly come into its own. There has been a proliferation of books for children and the value of these books has come to be recognized and respected. In the early decades of the 20th century, picture books became exceedingly popular, while stories like L. M. Montgomery's Anne of the Green Gables and Kate Douglas Wiggins's Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm provided reading for older children. Animal fantasies like Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit and A. A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh arrived on the literary landscape. Special collections of poetry for children appeared. Books for children came to be part of classroom instruction.
Today's teachers are witnesses and beneficiaries of the more recent history of children's literature. Books like E. B. White's Charlotte's Web and Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are have sold well over one million copies.