children’s literature

Table of Contents

Introduction & Top Questions
Definition of terms
- “Children”
- “Literature”
The case for a children’s literature
Some general features and forces
- The discovery of the child
- Shifting visions of the child
- Slow development
- The didactic versus the imaginative
The development of children’s literature
- Criteria
- The criteria applied: three examples
  - West versus East
  - North versus south
  - Latin America
Historical sketches of the major literatures
- England
  - Overview
  - Prehistory (early Middle Ages to 1712)
  - From “T.W.” to “Alice” (1712?–1865)
  - Coming of age (1865–1945)
  - Contemporary times
  - Historical fiction
  - The creation of worlds
- United States
  - Overview
  - Prehistory (1646?–1865)
  - Peaks and plateaus (1865–1940)
  - Contemporary times
- Germany and Austria
  - Heritage and fairy tales
  - War and beyond
- Scandinavia
  - Sweden
  - National and modern literature
  - Norway
  - Denmark
  - Finland
- France
  - Overview
  - History
  - The 20th century
- Russia/Soviet Union

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images

Lewis Carroll: Through the Looking-Glass

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

For Students

children’s literature summary

Discover

Stylish light blue jeans on wooden background, closeup of inset pocket

Why Do Jeans Have That Tiny Pocket?

Ahura Mazda - relief of the Zoroastrian god Ahura Mazda at the ancient ruins of Persepolis in Iran. Also known as Ormazd Zoroastrianism,

Which Religion Is the Oldest?

Fish. Lionfish. Lion-fish. Turkey fish. Fire-fish. Red lionfish. Pterois volitans. Venomous fin spines. Coral reefs. Underwater. Ocean. Red lionfish swims by seaweed.

10 of the World’s Most Dangerous Fish

The Jeff Koons tulips sculputure outside the Guggenheim Museums in Bilbao, Spain, Basque Country.

What’s the Difference Between Modern and Contemporary Art?

Orange basketball on black background and with low key lighting. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society

The 10 Greatest Basketball Players of All Time

Close-up of ostriches (Struthio camelus) necks and heads; location unknown.

6 of the World's Most Dangerous Birds

Srinivasa Ramanujan, Indian mathematician and autodidact.

6 Interesting Facts about Srinivasa Ramanujan

children’s literature

Q: What is children's literature?

Children’s literature consists of written works and accompanying illustrations produced to entertain or instruct young people. The genre encompasses a wide range of works, including classics of world literature, picture books and easy-to-read stories written exclusively for children, and fairy tales, lullabies, fables, folk songs, and more.

Q: How did children's literature start in England?

Children's literature in England got its start from merchants such as Thomas Boreman and John Newbery . In 1742 Boreman produced Cajanus, the Swedish Giant , and in 1744 Newbery published A Little Pretty Pocket-Book which was aimed at children with a diversionary rather than educational purpose.

Q: What was the first picture book in children's literature?

In 1658 a Moravian educator, John Amos Comenius , published Orbis Sensualium Pictus ( The Visible World in Pictures ), a teaching tool that was also the first picture book in children's literature.

Q: Do adults read children's literature?

Children's literature is a vast, expanding territory staked out for a young audience but that can also include adults. After all, children's books are written, selected for publication, sold, bought, reviewed, and often read aloud by grown-ups. The Harry Potter series is among the most notable example of books that were ostensibly children's literature but that had a very large adult audience.

Also known as: juvenile literature

Written by Clifton Fadiman

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Nov 27, 2024 • Article History

Key People:: Laurence Yep; Julia Alvarez; Dan Santat; Derrick Barnes; Carol Ryrie Brink

Related Topics:: nursery rhyme; fairy tale; counting-out rhyme; alphabet rhyme; moral tale

See all related content

What is children's literature?

How did children's literature start in England?

What was the first picture book in children's literature?

Do adults read children's literature?

News •

Animal characters in children's books, movies, TV shows can help boost theory of mind, study says • Nov. 26, 2024, 4:34 AM ET (CBS)

children’s literature, the body of written works and accompanying illustrations produced in order to entertain or instruct young people. The genre encompasses a wide range of works, including acknowledged classics of world literature, picture books and easy-to-read stories written exclusively for children, and fairy tales, lullabies, fables, folk songs, and other primarily orally transmitted materials. Children’s literature first clearly emerged as a distinct and independent form of literature in the second half of the 18th century, before which it had been at best only in an embryonic stage. During the 20th century, however, its growth has been so luxuriant as ...(100 of 18288 words)

Access the full article

Help support true facts by becoming a member.