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In 1774, John Newbery (1713-1767) opened a bookstore in St. Paul's Churchyard, London. At Newbery's bookstore he published and also sold books for children. His books were created to teach children the proper behavior they needed to know without threatening them.
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In 1907 the first child labor laws were passed and allowed for children to go to school instead of work.This allowed more students to be able to read and write due to public schools (first through eighth grade). Since more students were literate, the book industry started to increase and the quantity and types of books also grew. Theses books needed a home and charitable donors helped create public libraries, allowing children public access to literature.
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The Macmillan publishing house created a department solely for childrens literature and they appointed Louise Bechtel Semen to be department head.
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The American Library association established the John Newbery Award in 1922. The John Newbery Award is a literary award which gives praise to distinguished contributions to literature.
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In 1922 and 1923,the first children's books editors were established. They were two women, Helen Dean Fish and May Massee.
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In the 1920's and 1930's picture books began to develop, and were commonly being used.
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In the 1940's to the 1960's there was a rise in children's literature and young adult's books. These types of books became an important part in homes, publishing houses, schools, and libraries. Many libraries even opened up specific rooms devoted to children's reading.
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In 1975, Harriet Rohmer established Children's Book Press. Harriet was concerned that picture books portrayed a lack of diversity. The Children's Book Press published bilingual picture books and exemplified diversity.
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The OrbisPictus award, created in 1990, was administered by the National Council of Teachers of English. The award exemplifies the increasing attention that was given to non-fiction in the end of the twentieth century.
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In 2000, the Michael L. Printz Award was established due to a resurgence to adolescent literature. The American Library Association administered the award
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The Robert F Sibert Award was created in 2001 and was administered by the American Library Association. The award was created for outstanding informational books.
