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Jan 1, 1450
Oral Reading
The stories that were published and that we read today, many of them stem from oral tradiations stories that were passed through many generations. Also, many of them are influenced by those stories. -
Jan 1, 1484
Aesop's Fable
Ttranslated to English and printed by William Caxton
Caxton became the first printer in England, publishing many children’s books originally meant for adults. -
Orbis Pictus
Orbis Pictus by John Amos Comenius
Comenius wrote Orbis Pictus, presumably the first picture book for children, to help with the development of word and picture associations. -
Pilgrim's Progress
By John Bunyan
Pilgrim’s Progress, the audience of which was originally adults, was told in old fairytale fashion and came about during the Puritan era. -
Some Thought's Concerning Education
Written by John Locke
Locke was a philosopher of education who believed that children are not little adults and they learn best through fun activities rather than strict drill of information. -
Robinson Crusoe
By Daniel Defoe, illustrated by Howard Pyle
Robinson Crusoe, intended for adults, is an adventure story about the survivor of a shipwreck who must learn to live off of the land. -
Gulliver's Travels
Written by Jonathan Swift, different editions illustrated by Charles E. Brock, Arthur Rackham, and Fritz Eichenberg
Gulliver’s Travels is a fantasy that was published under a pseudonym because of the political statements it makes; however, due to the humor, the satire went unnoticed and it was greatly accepted. -
Tales of Mother Goose
Written by Perrault was translated into English, later published by John Newberry and illustrated by Randolph Caldecott
Tales of Mother Goose contains several tales, was considered a favorite book, and is enjoyed by young children today. -
A Little Pretty Pocket Book
Written by John Newberry.
Newberry, the man the Newberry Medal is named after, saw the importance of having books specifically for children and wrote for their entertainment. -
Emile Rousseau
Written by Jean Jacques Rousseau who was a philosopher that conveyed the importance of letting children learn what they want, at their own pace. -
The Yellow Kid
The First Comic Strip Character for Entertainment. Created by Richard Outcault. -
The Swiss Family Robinson
Written by Johann David Wyss
The Swiss Family Robinson is the adventurous story about a family who got shipwrecked on a desert island. -
Grimm's Popular Stories
Written by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, illustrated by Arthur Rackham, were translated into English
Grimm’s Popular Stories is a popular collection of stories among children, some of which were passed down verbally and written down by the Grimm brothers, ranging from humorous to serious and disturbing. -
A Christmas Carol
Written by Charles Dickens.
A Christmas Carol is a story about an old man named Ebenezer Scrooge who dislikes Christmas, but is visited by three Christmas ghosts and catches the spirit of Christmas. -
Fairy Tales
Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tales showed up in England
In Fairy Tales, Andersen modified old folktales, putting his own twists, which appealed to the imaginations of children. -
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Written by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) and illustrated by Sir John Tenniel
Tenniel was a cartoonist who drew clear pictures using strong lines, realistically illustrating the fantasy of the story. -
Little Women
Written by Louisa May Alcott
Little Women is a novel about family life, centering on four teenage girls who are facing different problems, but are held together by the bonds of family and love. -
The Diverting History of John Gilpin
Randolph Caldecott illustrated The Diverting History of John Gilpin written by William Cowper in 1785
Caldecott was very successful in producing memorable illustrations, especially for toy books. -
Treasure Island
Written by Robert Louis Stevenson
Treasure Island is a riveting story about Long John Silver and his pirate adventures. -
Robin Hood
Written and illustrated by Howard Pyle
Pyle worked in black and white, meticulously illustrating weapons and costumes that were authentic to the time period in which the story took place. -
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Written by Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain)
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is about a boy’s adventures going down the Mississippi River, and addresses the issue of judging those deemed socially unacceptable. -
The Jungle Book
Written by Rudyard Kipling
The Jungle Books are about a boy named Mowgli who lives in the wild and is brought up by several different talking animals. -
The Wizard of Oz
Written by L. Frank Baum
The Wizard of Oz is a story about a girl named Dorothy who finds herself in the Land of Oz and encounters several obstacles, but makes some friends, in her journey to figure out how to get back to her home in Kansas. -
The Tale of Peter Rabbit
Written by Beatrix Potter
Potter’s illustrations were done in water color, were detailed, and showed action well, marking the beginning of modern picture book artwork. -
Winnie the Pooh
Ernest Shepard illustrated Winnie-the-Pooh which was written by A.A. Milne
Shepard used pen and ink in his illustrations, effectively portraying character and mood. -
Little House on the Big woods
The first of the Little House books, Little House in the Big Woods, by Laura Ingalls Wilder. A newer addition of these books contained artwork by Garth Williams.
The Little House books are about Wilder’s childhood experiences of frontier life with her family and the struggles they faced. -
The Hobbit
J.R.R. Tolkien wrote The Hobbit
The Hobbit is the fascinating and sometimes humorous tale of an ordinary person (hobbit) becoming a hero by overcoming great obstacles on a quest. -
Action Comics
The First truely origianl Comic Book.
By Joe Shustler and Jerry Siegel, they were only teenagers when they created the caracter of Superman. -
Detective Comics
Bob Kane and Bill Finger Created the caracter Batman. He was the first punisher of street crimes.
Because of Batman and the dective Comics, the National Comics company changed it's name to DC. -
Make Way for Ducklings
Robert McCloskey illustrated Make Way for Ducklings.
McCloskey worked mostly in black and white, creating realistically detailed art, and was the first artist to win two Caldecott Medals. -
Johnny Tremain
Written by Esther Forbes
Johnny Tremain is an excellent classic historical fiction novel surrounding the life of a silversmith’s apprentice during the beginning of the American Revolution. -
Stuart Little
Garth Williams illustrated E.B. White’s Stuart Little
Garth Williams has a unique style of art in which he uses short strokes and effectively portrays characters in detail. -
The Lion, The Witch, and The Waredrobe
The first book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, in the Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis
The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of fantasy books by Christian author C.S. Lewis that contains allegory of the Christian life. -
Charlotte's Webb
Garth Williams illustrated E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web
Charlotte’s Web is a fantasy about a little pig named Wilbur who fears being butchered, but makes friends with a spider named Charlotte who comes up with unique ways to save him. -
Where the Wild Things Are
Written and illustrated by Maurice Sendak
Sendak often used a comic style, but he makes his artwork adapted to fit the story he is illustrating. -
Jumanji
Written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg
Van Allsburg’s illustrations won awards from the start. -
The Polar Express
Written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg.
Van Allsburg had a background in sculpture and played with lights and darks in his illustrations.
