ECE 102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Heather Has Two Mommies, The Hardy Boys, Judy Blume
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10 Sep 2017
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History of Children’s Literature
➢ Children’s books were nonexistent until the 1800’s
➢ Early Works
Aesop’s Fables were among the first children’s stories
▪ The Lion and the Mouse
Orbus Pictus (The World in Pictures)
▪ European schoolbook which focused on visual learning
▪ Believed to be the first picture book
Adventures of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe (1661)
A Little Pretty Pocket-book by John Newbury
▪ Considered the first children’s book
▪ Believed kids should enjoy reading
▪ Taught alphabet with games, rhymes, fables, etc.
▪ Newbury medal
Hornbooks (lesson paddles)
▪ Small wooden paddles (3x5 inches)
▪ Parchment pasted on with alphabet, prayers, etc.
Chapbooks
▪ Small cheap stitched books sold by local merchants
▪ Ex: Sleeping Beauty, Robin Hood
➢ Books of Instruction
18th century – main concern was religion
19th century – books begin to appear in middle class homes
▪ Dick and Jane books widely associated with learning to read –
words are very repetitive
o Characters of other cultures and races are not introduced
until 1965, as Dick and Jane books are declining in
popularity
– There was no need for diverse characters until Dick
and Jane books were no longer popular
1970’s – picture books are available in paperback
▪ cheaper and more accessible for young readers
▪ Hardy Boys, teen romance books
1980’s – 1990’s – teachers embrace lit-based use of trade books instead of
anthologies
▪ “I can Read” books
▪ Goosebumps, American Girls, Bailey School Kids
▪ Kids had an increased enthusiasm for reading
Early 2000’s – shift to teach to tests
▪ Children are encouraged to read “outside of school”
▪ Importance of trade books in classroom is down
➢ Controversial Books
Different people may be offended by different things
Are You There God, It’s Me, Margaret – Judy Blume (pornography)
Books with negative content are often dismissed by adults
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