Aesop
Aesop’ Fables written around 600BCE by a teacher named Aesop
- stories were short, talking animals, teach morals
- include “the Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing”, “Tortoise and the Hare”, “The Ant and the Grasshopper.”
- printed copies date back to 1484
William Caxton
Caxton’ “The Fables of Aesop”-earliest print 1484
John Comenius’s “Orbis Sensualium Pictus”
- Appeared in 1658
- One of first true books for children
- It was a textbook of Latin vocabulary using pictures
Hornbooks
Earliest available reading (not really a book) in the Renaissance.
-Parchment on wooden boards
New England Primer
-most famous school book of Renaissance period
-1960-1886
Taught young Puritan children the alphabet through rhyming
-longest used text in American history
John Bunyan
- wrote the Pilgrim’s Press an adult book read by literate children in the Renaissance period
- serious book with religious allegory but also adventure and monsters
John Locke (18th century-moral writers)
- Famous essay “Thoughts Concerning Education”
- believed all children are born eqaul, minds were blank slates, and there abilities depended on education provided.
- heredity did not matter
John Newberry (18th century -moral writers)
- a businessman who came up with the idea to market books to children
- “A little pretty pocket book” is a landmark in children’s publishing
- One of 1st children’s books on sale in a shop.
- this led to writing children’s books becoming a lucrative opportunity
Jean Jacques Rousseau (18th century-moral writer)
- wrote “Emile”
- wrote about his views on education
- believed children should learn through moral development
- he inspired many writers
Maria Edgeworth
English follower of Rousseau
-popular book “Simple Susan”
Charles Perrault
Origianally retold “The Tales of Mothergoose”
Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
- Early 19th century
- two brothers collected and published many folktales
- still the most famous collection
Hans Christian Andersen
- inspired by the Grimms
- also collected and wrote his own
Lewis Carroll/Charles Dodgson
- Lewis is a pseudonym
- published Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
- considered the FIRST CHILDREN’S STORY WRITTEN PURELY FOR ENTERTAINMENT
- helped steer books from being purely educational tools
George Cruikshank
Pioneer in colour illustration
J.M. Barrie
Wrote “Peter Pan”
Beatrix Potter
- “The Tale of Peter Rabbit”
- she wrote and illustrated it
- believed you should have something to say and to do it simply
Randolph Caldecott
- a great 19th century English illustrator
- pioneer in children’s illustrations
- art characterized by lines and playfulness
Kenneth Grahame
“The Wind in the Willows”
A. A. Milne
“Winnie-the-Pooh”
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Early 20th century
- wrote the series “Little House in the Big Woods”
- semi-autobiographical
- one of many at this time that celebrated family
P. L. Travers
- “Mary Poppins”
- collection of stories about her outrageous behaviour
- challenged the status quo of realistic novels of the times
J. R. R. Tolkien
-Early 20th century fantasy “The Hobbit”
Judy Blume
One of several who introduced the ‘problem novel’
- focuses on a crisis in childhood (ie: divorce)
- part of realistic fiction genre
