CHAPTER 1 NOTES

What is childrens literature?

- Books, stories, folklore, riddles, poems; more than just a story
What differentiates children and adult literature?
- Childrens literature contains simple vocabulary and simpler expression of ideas.
- Children find pleasure in jokes, rhymes, cartoons, comics, etc.
- Adults tend to stick to one type of literature.
Genres of Traditional Literature
- Myths
- Fables
- Folk songs
- Legends
- Fairytales
- Tall Tales
Genres of Childrens Literature
- Concept books
- Alphabet books
- Counting book
- Pattern picture books
- Wordless picture books
Genres of Fiction
- Fantasy
- Animal fantasy
- Contemporary fiction
- Historical fiction
- Science fiction
Book format refers to the way a book is put together or looks.
- Wordless picture books
- Easy to read
- Illustrated
- Chapter books
- Hard cover
- Paperback
- Series
Early Beginnings
- Alfred the Great (849-399 AD), Kind of England drove back the invasion of the Danes.
- Anglo-Saxon: name given to distinguish the barbarian settlers of Britain, the English Saxons,
from their kindred still on the continent. Generally used to define the period in England b/w the
 collapse of Roman power c.410 and the Norman Conquest of 1066, and applied to artifacts-
Anglo-Saxon pottery, metalwork, houses, etc.
- Until 1350, children in monastery schools had to read and speak Latin in and out of school.
- Anselm (1033-1109 AD), the Archbishop of Canterbury, wrote the first encyclopedia for
children.
The Middle English Period
- In 1066, William the Conqueror and his Norman French knights invaded and won England. They
were the Anglo-Saxons, who gave England its name (Angel Land).
- French words were introduced into English because it was the language of the nobility
- Children of nobility continued to receive instruction in manners and morals of the period.
- This period lasted until the invention of the printing press by Gutenberg in 1456 in Germany and
the coming of the Renaissance.
- First book published was The Bible.
- William Caxton was the creator of the first English printer in 1476. His first publication was
Aesops Fables.
The Renaissance
- Books were too expensive to be used by children, so the Hornbook was created for them about
1550. It was the first permanent book.
- The Royal Primer had a letter of alphabet followed by a familiar verse. This primer sold 5 million
copies during the hundred years it was used as a text book for younger children.
Puritan Times
- In the 1600s in England and America, childrens book were rather gloomy; they reflected the
Puritan outlook. Books for children were either reprints of English publications or local writings
that were even dreamer.
- First important illustrated book for children was written by John Amos.
The 1700s
- John Newberry was a writer, publisher, and bookseller of St. Pauls Church, London. He
published a series of books for children.
- Newbery printed chapbooks, cheap little paper editions, which were sold on the streets by
chapmen or peddlers. It contained ballads and folktales.
- Newbery also published translations from the French:
- Tales of Mother Goose by Charles Perrault
- Its also believed that Perrault wrote Blue Beard The three witches sleeping beauty puss
in boots and red riding hood
- Madame de Beaumont, a lady in the kings court, wrote Beauty and the Beast
The Early 1800s
- Childrens literature became more creative.
- Charles and Mary Lamb (brother and sister) wrote to give children pleasure. They worked
together to write a childrens version of Shakespeares plays.
- Jane and Ann Taylor wrote poems for children.
- Kate Greenaway did illustrations.
 - Jane wrote Twinkle, twinkle little star.
And Then
- Jacob Ludwig and Wilhelm Carl Grimm traveled around Germany, talking to people and
collecting folk stories.
- Hans Christian Anderson, wrote modern fairy tales, because Anderson actually created them and
copied old ways of telling stories.
o Anderson wrote Little Mermaid, Ugly Duckling, and Emperors New Clothes.
- In 1919 McMillan launched a publishing department. Books slowly began to change; it would
reflect diversity, and include literature from different cultures.
At the end of 20th century
- By the 1990s things had improved, but slowly in the number of books published yearly
specifically for and about diverse populations.
- Depiction of genders in non-traditional roles had improved significantly.
Today
- Literature for young people continues to grow and evolve.
- More books are devoted to diverse populations, nontraditional roles
- Much more nonfiction is available
- Interesting mixture of genres
- Content addresses childrens hopes, fears, dreams, experiences, and interests
- Great imagination & creativity in artwork
Today and the Future
- No one knows for sure but there are trends
- Effects of technology, computer games, cinematic conversion of books to film, e-readers
- Changing families, professions, world environment