Children's Literature - Yesterday And Today

Children's literature is not only read by young people but by many adults as well. Have you ever read any of the following books?
Robinson Crusoe (1719) by Daniel Defoe
Gulliver's Travels (1726) by Jonathan Swift
The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn (1884) by Mark Twain

Did you know these books were not written for children? They were written to entertain adults, but somewhere along the way a child picked up one of the books—read it—and told a friend about it, and that friend told another friend. It wasn't long before these books became favorites among children.

Children's Tales:
Charles Perrault's Histories Ou Contes de temps passe (1697; Histories of stories of Past Times) is often sited as the first book for children. The book was often known by its subtitle, Contes de ma mere l oie. The first English translation (1729) was known as Mother Goose Tales.

Who doesn't remember their mother or grandmother reading Mother Goose to them? Perrault's stories were well known throughout Europe, because some had appeared in earlier collections of tales by the Italian writers Giovanni Straparola, and Giambattista Basile. Some of Perrault's stories included Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood, and Puss in Boots.

The Old and The New:
Many years ago children did not have the advantage we have today in children's literature. They may have owned a tiny book of nursery rhymes, short stories, or even a dime novel. In recent years children's literature has received a huge following, and it keeps getting bigger.

Today, children's literature comes in the forms of hardbacks, paperbacks, comic books, magazines, online articles and magazines, audiotapes, videotapes, and the list goes on. Modern children are truly blessed with golden opportunities. But do they appreciate it?

I think most of them would, if they can be pulled away from the video games long enough. You say you'd rather try Virtual Reality? You've had it all along and just didn't know it. How many times have you picked up a book and found yourself becoming that character?

 And everywhere that character goes—you go.

Perhaps you've gone sailing on the high seas, or lived inside a beautiful castle. Maybe you've walked on the moon, visited Mars, or lived at Camelot. Whatever you've experienced it can be safely said that by opening a book, a magical journey begins. With modern technology the world of children's literature will continue to grow stronger, and bigger than ever. This offers our children and their children more knowledge than they could ever dream possible.

©2001 jpinkerton