The History of Children's Literature

By brittanyacarlson

  • Children's Bookstore Opened

    John Newbery opened a children's bookstore in St. Paul's Churchyard, London.
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    First American Book for Children Written

    Nathaniel Hawthorne became the author if the first American book written for children, called A Wonder Book for Boys and Girls.
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    Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Reprinted

    Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was reprinted in multiple English-speaking countries.

  • Children Freed to Attend School

    The first child labor laws freed children to attend school where they were able to learn how to read and write, causing a rapid increase in published literature.

  • US Publishing House Launches New Department

    The United States publishing house Macmillan launches a department solely dedicated to children's books.
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    Modern Picturebooks Start Developing

  • John Newbery Award Established by American Library Association

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    First Children's Book Editors

    Helen Dean Fish and May Massee, two women who worked at different companies, became the first children's book editors.

  • The Horn Book Magazine is Published

    Supervised by Bertha Mahoney and Elinor Whitney, The Horn Book Magazine was published by the Bookshop for Boys and Girls in Boston.

  • May Massee Opens a Children's Books Department

    May Massee went on to open a children's books department at Viking. Other publishers followed her steps and opened their own children's books departments.

  • Randolph Caldecott Award Established by American Library Association

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    Children's and Young Adults' Books Thrive

    Children's and young adults' books end up becoming extremely important to libraries, schools, homes and publishing houses.
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    Young Adult Literature Begins

    Young adult literature begins and becomes very popular after the publication of The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, The Pigman by Paul Zindel, The Contender by Robert Lipsyte, The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier and Forever by Judy Blume.

  • Children's Book Press Established

    Disappointed by the lack of diverse picturebooks, Harriet Rohmer established Children's Book Press.

  • Just Us Books Established

    Just Us Books was established to bring forward the lack of diversity in the field of writing and illustrating.

  • Orbis Pictus Award Administered by the National Council of Teachers of English

  • Bishop Creates a Study Proving Lack of Diversity

    A study found that only 3-4 percent of children's books published in 1990-1992 related to people of color.

  • Michael L. Printz Award is Established

    Michael L. Printz Award is established and administered by the American Library Association after the resurfacing of adolescent literature.

  • Robert F. Sibert Award Administered by the American Library Association

  • Geisel Award is Established

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