-
John Newbery opened a bookstore in St. Paul's Churchyard, London, where he sold and published books for children. These books were created to teach children what was considered proper behavior.
-
Nathaniel Hawthorne's A Wonder Book for Boys and Girls is considered to be the first American book intended for children.
-
Lewis Carroll's book was written to entertain children, with no moral lesson implied through the plot or characters. This was considered to be revolutionary.
-
Johanna Spyri's Heidi is published in Switzerland.
-
Carlo Collodi's children's book Pinocchio is published in Italy.
-
After the enforcement of the first child labor laws, more children were able to attend school. As more children gained the ability to read, children's literature rapidly evolved. Children's literature became profitable, so publishing companies established departments specialized in books for children.
-
Louise Bechtel Seaman is appointed the head of Macmillan's children's literature department.
-
From the 1920's through the 1930's, the modern picturebook begins to develop.
-
The John Newbery Award is established by the American Library Association.
-
Helen Dean Fish becomes the first woman editor for a children's literature field.
-
The Randolph Caldecott Award is established by the American Library Association.
-
From the 1940's through the 1960's, the importance of children's books gained traction in public libraries, schools, and homes.
-
From the 1960's through the 1970's, the young adult genre underwent a renaissance with the publications of S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders, Paul Zindel's The Pigman, and Judy Blume's Forever.
-
Harriet Rohmer establishes the Children's Book Press devoted to the publication of bilingual picturebooks due to the lack of diversity.
-
Towards the end of the twentieth century, women began to be represented in nontraditional roles.
-
The OrbisPictus Award is established and administered by the National Council of Teachers of English.
-
Children's literature continues to evolve in the twenty-first century. New genres and styles have emerged, along with new methods of publishing due to technology.
