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Where Did Children Literature Began?
Most children’s books came to North America from England. Their sole purpose at the time was to provide instructions. However this would change later on. -
First Bookstore
John Newbery opened a bookstore in London where he published and sold his own books and as well as others. Also England continued as a major source of literature for North American children for generations. -
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Early Children Literature Books
Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) was soon reprinted in English-speaking countries all over the world. He also released Through the Looking Glass (1871). Other ground breaking books; Johanna Spyri’s Heidi, published in 1879, Carlo Collodi’s Pinocchio originally published in 1883, and and Selma Lagerlöf’s The Wonderful Adventures of Nils, originally published in 1906. -
Books Become More Widely Available
The first child labor laws were passed in 1907 allowing more children to take advantage of reading in school. -
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Positive Progress
In 1919, US publishing house Macmillan created a department specifically for children’s books. 1922 and 1923, two women, Helen Dean Fish and May Massee, became the first children’s books editors. In 1933, May Massee opened a children’s books department. At the same time she was able to influence other publishers. They began to open children’s books departments, and children’s literature blossomed into the twentieth century. -
Racial / Gender Block for Children's Books
In the early 1960s children’s books changed during the last half of the twentieth century. They began to reflect the diversity in North America. However, the percentage of culturally diverse books in relation to the entire corpus of books published each year remained low. Few books represented those groups published at the time, even up until late 1980s. It was also difficult to find books with girls and women in nontraditional roles and as well to find representation of the LGBTQ community. -
Lack of Diverse Picture Books
In 1975 their was a lack of picturebooks that reflected diversity. Harriet Rohmer, was disturbed by the lack of effort. So he established Children’s Book Press, devoted to the publication of bilingual picturebooks that reflected a diversity of cultural experiences. -
Presses Take Charge
In 1988, Other small presses such as Just Us Books addressed the lack of diversity in the field and forward-thinking editors such as Phyllis Fogelman, at Dial. They even encouraged
and supported the work of several now-notable African
American authors and illustrators.