Children's Literature, Briefly

Chapter 5..... Children's Books: History and Trends

Tunnell, Michael O. and James S. Jacobs. Children's Literature, Briefly. 4e. Upper Sadle River NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall, 2008.

Children's books were not initially well-recieved in the sense that until the 20th century, children were thought of as "little adults". Many classic novels today were actually meant for adults, but have been claimed as children's favorites.

It was not until the 1800's that classics such as Snow White, The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland, Mark Twain, and the Grimm's Fairy Tales were released. It was in this time frame that illustrations for children's books also began to be popularized.

In the early 1900's, Peter Pan and the Wizard of Oz were published. Publishing children's literature became a phenomenon that has lasted until present day. Presently we have classics such as Charlotte's Web, and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe which have encouraged more andmore children's books to be published and sold.

In 1962, the first book about an African American as a protagonist was published in the book, A Snowy Day. This new wave of Realism featured books about minorities, children's relationships with their parents, and physical maturation. An emphasis for younger readers was also established in books such as Cat in the Hat.

The government also began funding money to libraries for children's books, as well as introducing paperbacks for a cheaper price. In the marketplace, Children's Publishing became a high dollar industry.

Currently children's books recieve awards and praise, while the slogan for reading is running strong. You can see that the rise in children's books over the past few years has encouraged many children to start reading, even at ages where they cannot decode the words.