The History of Children s Books - The Atlantic theatlantic.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theatlantic.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Napoleon called the English a “nation of shopkeepers,” and in England art may owe much to trade. Children’s literature in England got its start from merchants such as Thomas Boreman, of whom little is known, and especially John Newbery, of whom a great deal more is known. Research has established that at least as early as 1730 Boreman began publishing for children (largely educational works) and that in 1742 he produced what sounds like a recreational story, Cajanus, the Swedish Giant. Beginnings of English children’s literature might be dated from the first decade of the 18th century, when a tiny
The Library of Congress has a collection of books that would make any bookworm turn green with envy. One of their most fascinating collections is their rare children s book library. Visitors can read the books in their entirety from the Library of Congress s online catalog. Here are 11 of our favorites.
1.
A Apple Pie by Kate Greenaway (1900)
This book by Kate Greenaway was designed to acquaint children with the alphabet. With simple sentences and elaborate drawings,
A Apple Pie is kind of like an old-timey Sesame Street special. The book seems pretty promising as it starts with A apple pie, B bit it, C cut it, until it gets to the last page, where the last six letters are stuffed onto a single page. Spoiler alert: UVWXYZ all had a large slice and went off to bed.