Chapter 2 EDRG 3321

Chapter 2 Review

The History of Children's Literature

There is an entire floor of the San Antonio Downtown Library that is dedicated to children's literature and media. Containing beautiful books with wonderful illustrations for children of all ages. I know because my children and I personally explore it each week. There was a time in history not long ago, when books were not printed specifically for children. Oral stories and books were not mirrored for children and early childrens books often copied the dominant cultural values of their place and time. Looking back on childrens literature gives us a view of the changes in society as a whole and shows us the changes in social expectations of children and the family.

Milestones in the history of children's literature.

Before people learned to write, family units gathered together and told stories. It was their way to pass down family values and customs. Along with explaining such things as the origin of the universe and other natural phenomenon, emphasizing ethical truths and transmitting history from one generation to the next. This is known as Oral Tradition. Although these stories were not told to children specifically they were definitely there, watching, listening, learning and remembering. The journey through the history of children's literature takes us from the native Americans who told mythologies expressing their reverence to the geological aspects of North America, to the county fairs were storytellers told folktales of their heroes. Due to Sir Phillip Sidney's enlightenment that, the influence of story telling reached even the children and elderly, at the end of the 14th century, feudal authorities tried to control the tales being told and jailed storytellers who angered the church or certain rulers.

The literary heritage of Europe before the mid-1400's consisted of oral tradition and parchment manuscripts laboriously written by monks and scribes. In the 1450's a German named Johannes Gutenberg discovered a practical method for using movable metal type, making the mass production of books possible. Because of the increasing influence of the press, the British monarchy decreed that only London, Oxford, Cambridge and York could have printing establishments in 1637. During this time few people gave thought to whether or not children had interest of their own or the want for an education. This way of thinking was disturbed when philosopher John Locke explained that a child's mind at birth was a blank slate where ideas were to be imprinted. Locke stressed the interrelatedness of healthy physical development and healthy mental development, and he advocated milder ways of teaching and raising children than had been previously recommended in the past.

An important addition to children's literature was written in 17th century France by Charles Perrault. The book was titled "Contes de ma Mere l'Oye," better known as "The Tales of Mother Goose." These were a collection of French oral traditions which had been retold and entertained the elegant salons of Parisian aristocracy for generations. Perrault was one of the first writers to embrace the importance of fairytale's to children.

Next was Rousseau's philosophy of natural development. Rousseau believed that children should mearly be accompanied in their search for knowledge. He maintained that children could and should develop naturally, with gentle guidance from wise adults who could supply necessary information. Rousseau described stages of children's growth, stressing the importance of experiences in harmony with children's natural development physically and mentally in his "Emile," published in 1762. William Blake was a poet who seemed to capture the spirit of a child. He was credited with writing verses as if a child had written them. Allowing the reader the opportunity to visualize this happy child.

In the early 1800's Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, two German scholars, started collecting folktales that reflected the ancient German language and tradition. The Grimm's first edition of tales contained 85 stories, including "Cinderella," "Hansel and Gretal," "Little Red Riding Hood," and "The Frog Prince." While Charles Perralut and the brothers Grimm were creating books of retold fairytales, Hans Christian Anderson used his own experiences to stimulate his writing. Some of Anderson's most famous stories are "The Ugly Duckling," "The Little Mermaid," and "The Red Shoes."

Early Illustrations of Children's Books

Before the 1800's most book illustrations were crude woodcuts, especially those in inexpensive chapbooks. If color was used it was probably applied by an armature using a guide. Thomas Bewick is credited with being one of the earliest artist to illustrate for children's books.

Three 19th century English artist had enormous influence on illustrations for children's books. They are Walter Crane, Randolph Caldecott, and Kate Greenaway. The Caldecott Medal for children's illustrations is named for the artist. The Kate Greenway Medal is given annually to the most distinguished British illustrator of children's books.

The history of children's literature is very interesting. I am certain that it will only continue to grow and develop, especially with all of the new technology in the world. My only hope is that books don't become obsolete. Hopefully parents and teachers will continue to inspire and instill the joy of reading books to children. It will be a sad day if the wonderful libraries of the world start closing.