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1744- John Newbery
John Newberry opened up a bookstore in St. Paul's Churchyard, London. His primary goal was to sell books for children. Most of these books were on how to teach children appropriate behaviors through stories. -
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Teaching Through Imagination
People started to realize that not only did these books teach children, it also helped push their imagination. Books such as "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Pinocchio" were enjoyed by many and helped spark imagination in children. Although most children's books came from England or Europe, they were adapted for children living in America to enjoy as well. -
Department
Macmillan, the publishing house, opened the first department that was solely dedicated to writing and publishing children's literature. This helped sparked other publishing companies to open more departments solely focused on this purpose. -
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Picture Books!
The picture book that we know and love today, began to develop around this time. This new type of book gave a different element to children's literature. It allowed the children to not only read the book, but have a visual to go along with it. -
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Emphasis on Books
Along with adult books, children's books began to take a bigger role in society. Libraries and schools began to understand the importance of these books and they soon started to fill the shelves with children's books. With more children being enrolled in school, this was a way to grow the children's imagination and love for school. -
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Diversity
In this period of time, it was decided that they needed to broaden the spectrum of children's book and not confine it to just native stories. They began to include stories of other cultures and backgrounds. Also, characters in books now began to slowly deviate from social norms. Rather than conforming to what society gave them, authors wrote books to reflect the diverse world around them and own personal perspectives.