Basic Characteristics

There is some debate as to what constitutes children's literature. Some would have it that children's literature is Literature is literally an acquaintance with letters as in the first sense given in the Oxford English Dictionary (from the Latin littera meaning an individual written character (letter)). The term has, however, generally come to identify a collection of texts. The word literature, as a common noun, can refer to... literature written specially for children, though many books that were originally intended for adults are now commonly thought of as works for children, for example Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 - April 21, 1910), better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was a famous and popular American humorist, writer and lecturer. At his peak, he was probably the most popular American celebrity of his time. William Faulkner wrote he was the first truly American... Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper is a 1882 book by Mark Twain that represents his first attempt at historical fiction. The book, set in 1547, tells the story of two young boys who are identical in appearance: Tom Canty, a pauper who lives with his abusive father in Offal Court... The Prince and the Pauper, or Huckleberry Finn is the protagonist of Mark Twains famous book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Huck also appears in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. A huckleberry is a type of plant that bears blueberry-like fruit. The main theme of this book, according to author Mark Twain, is sound... Huckleberry Finn. The opposite has also been known to occur, where works of The Three Graces, here in a painting by Sandro Botticelli, were the goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity and fertility in Greek mythology. Fiction is the term used to describe works of the imagination. This is in contrast to non-fiction, which makes factual claims about reality. A large... fiction originally written or marketed for children are given recognition as adult books. Witness that in recent years, the prestigious The Whitbread Book Awards are among the United Kingdoms most prestigious literary awards. Currently each year winners are chosen in five categories, novel, first novel, childrens, poetry, and biography. Each category winner receives £5000. One of the category winners is selected as the Book of the Year and... Whitbread Awards were twice given to books marketed as children's books: Philip Pullman Philip Pullman, (born October 19, 1946) is an English writer, educated at Exeter College, Oxford, who is the bestselling author of the His Dark Materials trilogy of fantasy novels and a number of other books, purportedly for children, but attracting increasing attention by adult readers. The series consisted... Philip Pullman's The Amber Spyglass is the final book of the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman, published in 2000. Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow. This book deals with Lyra and Wills quest into the Land of the Dead to overcome death, the overthrow of The Authority by... The Amber Spyglass, and Mark Haddon is a novelist, who was educated at Uppingham School and Merton College, Oxford. While there, one of his major achievements was to clock the Gravitar video game, a fiendishly difficult task which proved beyond the colleges most obsessive video nerds. He won the 2003 Whitbread Book of... Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (ISBN 0099450259) is a novel by Mark Haddon. The title is a quotation of a remark made by the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes in Arthur Conan Doyles The Adventure of Silver Blaze. The story is written as the first... The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. The The Nobel Prizes (pronounced no-BELL or no-bell) are awarded annually to people who have done outstanding research, invented groundbreaking techniques or equipment, or made outstanding contributions to society. It is generally regarded as the supreme commendation in the world today. The prizes were instituted by the final will... Nobel prize for literature has also been given to authors who made great contributions to children's literature, such as Selma Lagerlöf and Isaac Bashevis Singer (born in 1904 in Leoncin, Poland, then part of the Russian Empire, and died on July 24, 1991 in Miami, Florida). He won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1978. Isaac Bashevis Singer was the son of a rabbi and brother of the novelist Israel Joshua Singer... Isaac Bashevis Singer. Often it is hard to reach consensus on the question of whether a certain book is a children's book or not, for example, The Hobbit is a fantasy novel written by J.R.R. Tolkien originally as a childrens story in the tradition of the fairy tale. It was first published on September 21, 1937 and serves as a preface to The Lord of the Rings (published many years later in 1954... The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien in 1916. He is wearing a WWI-era British Army uniform in this photograph. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (January 3, 1892 – September 2, 1973) was the author of The Hobbit and its sequel The Lord of the Rings. He attended King Edwards School, Birmingham... J. R. R. Tolkien.

Additionally, there is some debate as to whether or not non-fiction is literature (and a separate debate over whether non-fiction should be called non-fiction or informational). While the ALSC has an award specifically for non-fiction, the Sibert Medal, non-fiction books have also very occasionally won the The John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children of the American Library Association (ALA) to the author of the most outstanding American book for children. The award has been given since 1922. Together with the Caldecott Medal, it is considered the... Newbery Medal, the premier children's book award in the United States (notably, Russell Freedman's 1988 Lincoln: A Photobiography).

Many authors specialize in books for children. Other authors are more known for their writing for adults, but have also written books for children, such as Alexey Tolstoy's The Adventures of Burratino. In some cases, books intended for adults, such as Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift (November 30, 1667 - October 19, 1745) was an Anglo-Irish writer and satirist. Jonathan Swift was born, after his father had been dead for seven months, to an English mother, and educated by his Uncle Godwin. After a not very successful career at Trinity College, Dublin... Swift's Gulliver's Travels have been edited (or Thomas Bowdler (July 11, 1754 – February 24, 1825), an English physician, has become (in)famous as the editor of a childrens edition of William Shakespeare, the Family Shakespeare, in which he endeavoured to remove every thing that could give just offence to the religious and virtuous mind. For... bowdlerized) somewhat, to make them more appropriate for children.

An attempt to identify the characteristics shared by works called 'children's literature' leads to some good general guidelines. No one rule is perfect, however, and for every identifying feature there are many exceptions, as well as many adult books which share the characteristic.

Publishers have attempted to further break down children's literature into subdivisions appropriate for different ages. In the United States, current practice within the field of children's books publishing is to break children's literature into pre-readers, early readers, chapter books, and A young adult is an informal term used to describe the transition from teenager to adult. Young adult falls usually between 16-25, encompassing the end of the teenager years and the beginning of adulthood. Young adults usually enter post-secondary education and/or engage in work. At this early... young adults. This is roughly equivalent to the age groups 0-5, 5-7, 7-11 (sometimes broken down further into 7-9 and pre-teens), and books for teenagers. However, the criteria for these divisions are just as vague and problematic as the criteria for defining children's books as a whole. One obvious distinction is that books for younger children tend to contain illustrations, but A picture book is a popular form of illustrated literature—more precisely, a book with pictures in it—popularized in the 20th century Western world. Picture books are normally aimed at young children. When was the first picture book published? Categories: Literature stubs | Books ... Picture books which feature art as an integral part of the overall work also cross all genres and age levels. As a general rule the implied reader of a children's or young adult book is 1-3 years younger than the protagonist. (counter example: Orson Scott Card (born August 24, 1951) is a prolific and best-selling author of numerous genres. Orson Scott Card often gives lectures to aspiring writers. Overview Cards launch in the publishing industry was with science fiction (Hot Sleep and Capitol) and later fantasy (Songmaster). He remains best known... Orson Scott Card's The cover art of Enders Game depicts the Battle School space station. Enders Game ( 1985) is the best-known novel by Orson Scott Card. It originated as a science fiction short story in Analog magazine ( 1977) and is set in a future where mankind is facing annihilation by... Ender's Game, not necessarily written for children, but co-opted by a child and young adult audience)

History

Because of the difficulty in defining children's literature, it is also difficult to trace the history of children's literature to a precise starting point. In 1658 Comenius on a Czechoslovak 20 koruna banknote Jan Amos Komenský (Latinized Comenius) (March 28, 1592 - November 15, 1670) was a Czech teacher, educator and writer, known as teacher of nations. He was a Moravian protestant bishop, a religious refugee, a great European and a believer in non-violence. Life and... Jan Ámos Komenský published the illustrated informational book Orbis Pictus, or Orbis Sensualium Pictus (The Visible World in Pictures) is a textbook for children by a Czech educator Jan Ámos Komenský. It is a kind of a childrens encyclopaedia and considered to be the first picture book intended for children. Contents // Categories: Stub ... Orbis Pictus; it's considered to be the first picture book published specifically for children. John Newbery (1713 - 22 December 1767) was an English publisher of books who specialized in childrens literature. He was the eponym of the Newbery Medal. Newbery has been credited with inventing childrens literature. His A Little Pretty Pocket-Book published in 1744 is often cited as the first... John Newbery's 1744 publication of A Little Pretty Pocket-Book, sold with a ball for boys or a pincushion for girls, is considered a landmark for the beginning of pleasure reading marketed specifically to children. Previous to Newbery, literature marketed for children was intended to instruct the young, though there was a rich oral tradition of storytelling for children and adults; and many tales later considered to be inappropriate for children, such as the fairy tales of Charles Perrault, 1665 Charles Perrault (January 12, 1628 _ May 16, 1703) was a French author. Charles Perrault was born in Paris, France to a wealthy bourgeois family. He attended the best schools and studied law before embarking on a career in government service. He took part in the creation... Charles Perrault, may have been considered family fare. Additionally, some literature not written with children in mind was given to children by adults. Among the earliest examples found in English of this co-opted adult fiction are Sir Thomas Malory (c.1405 – 1471) was the author or compiler of Le Morte dArthur. The antiquary John Leland believed him to be Welsh, but most modern scholarship and this article assumes that he was Sir Thomas Malory of Newbold Revel in Warwickshire. The surname appears in... Thomas Malory's Morte d'Arthur and the Robin Hood is the archetypal English folk hero, an outlaw who, in modern versions of the legend, stole from the rich to give to the poor. This redistributionist form of philosophy-in-action anticipates the work of writers such as Proudhon and Karl Marx by many hundreds of years. Although... Robin Hood tales.

Series

The success of a book for children often prompts the author to continue the story in a sequel, or even to launch into an entire series of books. Some works are originally conceived as series: Joanne Rowling OBE (born July 31, 1965 in Chipping Sodbury, South Gloucestershire), commonly known as J.K. Rowling (pronunciation: roll-ing; her former students used to joke with her name calling her the Rolling Stone), is a British fiction writer. Rowling is most famous for being the author of the... J. K. Rowling has always stated in interviews that her original plan was to write no fewer than seven books about Harry James Potter (born July 31, 1980)[1] the only son of James Potter and Lily Potter; is a fictional character and the protagonist of a series of fantasy novels by J. K. Rowling. The series of novels and movies based on him are often referred to as the Harry... Harry Potter, and some authors, such as the prolific Enid Blyton (August 11, 1897 - November 28, 1968) was a British childrens author. She is noted particularly for numerous series of books, based on recurring characters and designed for different age groups. Her prolific output involved mainly escapist childrens fantasy, often but not always involving the supernatural. Her... Enid Blyton and Robert Lawrence Stine (born October 8, 1943), better known as R. L. Stine, is an American writer. He is the author of dozens of popular horror fiction novellas, including the books in the Goosebumps series. The plots of his books usually involve naïve teenagers who fall into situations having... R. L. Stine, seem incapable of writing a stand-alone book. In several cases, series have outlived their authors, whether publishers openly hired new authors to continue after the death of the original creator of the series (such was the case when Reilly and Lee hired Ruth Plumly Thompson (1891-1976) was an American writer of childrens stories. She is best known for contining the childrens fantasy Land of Oz series after L. Frank Baum died in 1919. An avid reader of Baums books and a lifelong childrens writer, Thompson was born... Ruth Plumly Thompson to continue A series of books, starting with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, dealing with the history of the Land of Oz. The first fourteen books by the original author, L. Frank Baum, another nineteen books by Ruth Plumly Thompson, and another seven books by various authors comprise the Famous Forty, which... The Oz series after Lyman Frank Baum (May 15, 1856 - May 6, 1919) was an American author and the creator of one of the most beloved classics of childrens literature, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. L. Frank Baum Baums childhood and early life Frank was born in Chittenango, New York, the seventh... L. Frank Baum's death), or whether the pen name of the original author was retained as a brand-name-de-plum for the series (as with Franklin W. Dixon and the The Hardy Boys are the heroes of a popular series of detective books for boys. Edward Stratemeyer, founder of the Stratemeyer Syndicate created the plot outlines, while Leslie McFarlane wrote 18 of the first 24 books in the series, all under the pen-name Franklin W. Dixon. The first three... Hardy Boys series, Carolyn Keene is the pen name of the authors of the Nancy Drew mystery series, published by the Stratemeyer Syndicate. Stratemeyer hired writers, including Mildred Benson, to write the novels in this series, who initially were paid only $125 for each book and were required by their contract to give... Carolyn Keene and the Nancy Drew is the heroine of a popular mystery series for girls. The series was created by Edward Stratemeyer, founder of the Stratemeyer Syndicate. The series was ghostwritten in the early years primarily by Mildred Wirt Benson. Harriet Stratemeyer Adams (who succeeded her father Edward as the head of the... Nancy Drew series, and Cleo Virginia Andrews (6 June 1923 – 19 December 1986), better known as V. C. Andrews or Virginia C. Andrews is an American author. Most of her novels are Gothic horrors and family sagas, usually consisting of a series of five books, where the last book is a prequel explaining... V. C. Andrews and the Flowers in the Attic series).

Awards

Some noted An award is something given to a person or group of people to recognize excellence in a certain field. Awards are often objects, for example trophies, certificates, or plaques but they do not have to be. An award can simply be the public acknowledgment of excellence. One common type of... awards for children's literature are:

• United States: the major awards are given by the The American Library Association represents librarians in the United States. It has approximately 64,000 members. It was founded in 1876 in Philadelphia and chartered in 1879 in Massachusetts. Its head office is in Chicago. Its mission is to provide leadership for the development, promotion, and improvement of library and... American Library Association Association for Library Service to Children. They include the The John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children of the American Library Association (ALA) to the author of the most outstanding American book for children. The award has been given since 1922. Together with the Caldecott Medal, it is considered the... Newbery Medal for writing, The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published that year. It was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. Together with... Caldecott Medal for illustration, Sibert Medal for informational, Wilder Medal for impact over time, Batchelder Award for works in translation, Coretta Scott King Award for work by an African-American writer, and the Belpre Medal for work by a Latino writer.
• United Kingdoms and Commonwealth: the The Carnegie Medal in Literature was established in the UK in 1936 in honour of Andrew Carnegie. It is awarded to an outstanding book for children and young adult readers. Nominated books must be written in English and should first have been published in the UK during the previous year... Carnegie Medal for writing and the The Kate Greenaway Medal was established in the UK in 1955 in honour of the childrens illustrator, Kate Greenaway. The medal is given annually to an outstanding work of illustration in childrens literature. It is awarded by CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals. The first... Kate Greenaway Medal for illustration; the The Nestlé Smarties Book Prize is an annual award given to childrens books written in the previous year by a UK citizen or resident. The prize is administered by Booktrust, an independent charity which promotes books and reading. The prize is sponsored by Nestlé, manufacturer of Smarties. A panel... Nestle Smarties Book Prize; and the The Guardian Childrens Fiction Prize or Guardian Award is a prominent award for works of childrens literature by British or Commonwealth authors, published in the UK during the preceding year. The award has been given annually since 1967, and is decided by a panel of authors and the... Guardian Award.
• Internationally: the The Hans Christian Andersen Award, sometimes known as the Little Nobel Prize, is an international award given bianually by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) in recognition of a lasting contribution to childrens literature. There are two categories of award winners: authors, and illustrators. The prize... Hans Christian Andersen Award

Famous Works of Children's Fiction

• A fairy tale is a story, either told to children or as if told to children, concerning the adventures of mythical characters such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, giants, and others. The fairy tale is a sub-class of the folktale. These stories often involve princes and princesses, and modern... Fairy tale collections are one of the earliest forms of published fiction that have never lost their charm for children, though several of the classic tales are gruesome and were not originally collected for children. Famous collectors and retellers of Fairy Tales include Charles Perrault, 1665 Charles Perrault (January 12, 1628 _ May 16, 1703) was a French author. Charles Perrault was born in Paris, France to a wealthy bourgeois family. He attended the best schools and studied law before embarking on a career in government service. He took part in the creation... Charles Perrault, the Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm The Brothers Grimm (Brüder Grimm) are Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm. The collection of childrens tales The Brothers Grimm are well known for publishing collections of German fairy tales, as Kinder- und Hausmärchen (Childrens and Household Tales), in 1812, with a second volume... brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, (April 2, 1805 - August 4, 1875) was a Danish author and poet famous for his fairy tales. Hans Christian Andersen Personal life Andersen was born in Odense, Denmark, on April 2, 1805. He was the son of a sickly young shoemaker of twenty-two and his several... Hans Christian Andersen and Andrew Lang (March 31, 1844 - July 20, 1912) was a prolific Scots poet, novelist, and literary critic but is best known as the collector of folk and fairy tales. Education He was educated at the Edinburgh Academy, St Andrews University and at Balliol College, Oxford, where he took a first... Andrew Lang.

• Struwwelpeter is a popular German childrens book by Heinrich Hoffmann. Struwwelpeter (slovenly Peter), is an illustrated collection of stories intended for children. The stories include: Struwwelpeter, Die Geschichte vom bösen Friederich (The Story of Cruel Frederick), Die gar traurige Geschichte mit dem Feuerzeug (The Dreadful Story of Pauline... Struwwelpeter ( 1845 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). Events January 29 - The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe is published for the first time (New York Evening Mirror). March 1 - President John Tyler signs a bill authorizing the United States to annex the Republic of Texas. March... 1845) by Heinrich Hoffman (published in English as Slovenly Peter).

• John Tenniels illustration for A Mad Tea-Party, 1865 Alices Adventures in Wonderland is a work of childrens literature by the British mathematician and author Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. It tells the story of a girl named Alice who falls down a... Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ( Events January - March January 21 - Maori Wars: The Tauranga Campaign starts. February 27 - American Civil War: The first Northern prisoners arrive at the Confederate prison at Andersonville, Georgia. March 1- Alejandro Mon Menéndez takes office as Prime Minister of Spain March 10 - American Civil War: The Red River Campaign... 1864) by Photograph of Lewis Carroll taken by himself, with assistance Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (January 27, 1832 – January 14, 1898), better known by the pen name Lewis Carroll, was a British author, mathematician, Anglican clergyman, logician, and amateur photographer. His most famous writings are Alices Adventures in Wonderland and its... Lewis Carroll (the pen name of This article is about the city of Oxford in England. See also other meanings, including other cities. Oxford is a city and local government district in Oxfordshire, England, with a population of 134,248 ( 2001 census). It is home to the University of Oxford, the oldest university in the English... Oxford A mathematician is a person whose area of study and research is mathematics. Roles Mathematicians not only study, but also research, and this must be given prominent mention here, because a misconception that everything in mathematics is already known is widespread among persons not learned in that field. In fact... mathematician Photograph of Lewis Carroll taken by himself, with assistance Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (January 27, 1832 – January 14, 1898), better known by the pen name Lewis Carroll, was a British author, mathematician, Anglican clergyman, logician, and amateur photographer. His most famous writings are Alices Adventures in Wonderland and its... Charles Dodgson), a novel about a little girl who follows a white rabbit into a land where logical puzzles come to life, gained worldwide popularity in the Queen Victoria (shown here on the morning of her Accession to the Throne, June 20, 1837) gave her name to the historic era. The Victorian Era of Great Britain is considered the height of the British industrial revolution and the apex of the British Empire. It is often defined as... Victorian era and is considered a seminal work of children's literature. It was succeeded by Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (1871) is a work of childrens literature by Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson), and is the sequel to Alices Adventures in Wonderland. There are many mirror themes, including opposites, time running backward, and so on. Chess Whereas the first... Through the Looking-Glass.

• Little Women is an 1868 autobiographical novel by Louisa May Alcott, concerning the lives and loves of four sisters (from oldest to youngest: Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy) growing up during the American Civil War. ISBN 0140380221 It has been adapted as a film many times: in 1917, 1918, 1933... Little Women ( 1868 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). Events January 3 - Meiji Emperor declares Meiji Restoration, his own restoration to full power, against the supporters of the Tokugawa Shogunate. January 10 - Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu declares emperors declaration illegal and attacks Kyoto. Pro-Emperor forces drive... 1868) by Louisa May Alcott Louisa May Alcott (November 29, 1832 - March 6, 1888) was an American novelist, best known for the novel Little Women (1868). She was the daughter of Amos Bronson Alcott and Abigail May, and though of New England parentage and residence, was born in Germantown, now part of... Louisa May Alcott.

• Max and Moritz (A Story of Seven Boyish Pranks) was a German language comic strip and may have been the first such strip ever. This highly inventive, blackly humorous tale, told entirely in rhymed couplets, was written and illustrated by Wilhelm Busch and began newspaper publication in 1865. Many familiar... Max and Moritz ( 1865 is a common year starting on Sunday. Events January 31 - American Civil War: Confederate General Robert E. Lee becomes general-in-chief. February - The Only known month in History without a Full moon. February 17 - American Civil War: Columbia, South Carolina burns as Confederate forces flee from advancing Union... 1865) by Works (with the year of publication) 1864 Bilderpossen 1865 Max and Moritz 1866 Schnaken und Schnurren 1867 Hans Huckebein der Unglücksrabe 1868 Schnaken und Schnurren, part II 1869 Schnurrdiburr oder die Bienen Braun 1870 Der heilige Antonius von Padua 1872 Schnaken und Schnurren, part III 1872 Die fromme Helene... Wilhelm Busch.

• Pinocchio is a work by Carlo Collodi published in 1880 in Italy. It has come to be regarded as a childrens classic and has been filmed over twenty times. Notable film versions include Walt Disneys full-length cartoon feature (see Pinocchio (1940 movie)), Aventures of Pinocchio, (1972) a... Pinocchio ( 1880 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). Events January - April January 1 - Construction of the Panama Canal begins February 1 - First edition of The Stage published February 2 - The first electric streetlight is installed in Wabash, Indiana February 13 - Thomas Edison becomes the second person... 1880) by Carlo Lorenzini (November 24, 1826 _ October 26, 1890), better known as Carlo Collodi, or simply Collodi, was an Italian writer and journalist. His pseudonym, which he used from 1856 onwards, is the name of the Tuscan village where his mother, Angela Orzali, was born. Collodi himself was born and... Carlo Collodi.

• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a childrens story written by L. Frank Baum, illustrated by W.W. Denslow, and first published in 1900. The story chronicles the adventures of a girl named Dorothy in the land of Oz. It is well regarded in popular culture and has been... The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ( 1900 is a common year starting on Monday. Events January January 1 - Nigeria becomes a British protectorate January 2 - John Hay announces the Open Door Policy to promote trade with China. January 2 - Chicago Canal opens. January 5 - Irish leader John Edward Redmond calls for a revolt against British rule... 1900) by Lyman Frank Baum (May 15, 1856 - May 6, 1919) was an American author and the creator of one of the most beloved classics of childrens literature, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. L. Frank Baum Baums childhood and early life Frank was born in Chittenango, New York, the seventh... L. Frank Baum, later expanded into a series of books which were tremendously popular in America during the first half of the twentieth century.

• The Just So Stories for Little Children were written by British author Rudyard Kipling. They are among his best known, and arguably best, works. The stories, first published in 1902, are fantastic accounts of how various natural phenomena came about. A forerunner of these stories is How Fear Came in... Just So Stories for Little Children ( Events January-April January 28 - The Carnegie Institution is founded in Washington, DC with a $10 million gift from Andrew Carnegie. France, Loisys Lévangile et lEglise which inaugurates the Modernist Crisis February 11 - Police beat up universal suffrage demonstrators in Brussels. February 15 – Berlin underground opened... 1902), by Rudyard Kipling, British author Joseph Rudyard Kipling (December 30, 1865 – January 18, 1936) was a British author and poet, born in India. He is best known for the childrens story The Jungle Book (1894), the Indian spy novel Kim (1901), the poems Gunga Din (1892) and If—... Rudyard Kipling, fantastical accounts of the origins of natural phenomena.

• The Railway Children is a childrens book by Edith Nesbit. Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow. The story concerns a family who move from London to a rural area after the father is falsely accused of selling state secrets to the Russians and imprisoned for five years. The... The Railway Children ( 1906 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). Events January 8 - Landslide in Haverstraw, New York kills 20 January 31 - Earthquake in Ecuador (8.6 in Richter scale) February 11 - Pope Pius X publishes the encyclical Vehementer nos. February 15 - Representatives of the Labour Representation Committee... 1906), by Edith Nesbit (August 15, 1858 - May 4, 1924) was a British childrens author whose works were published under the asexual name of E. Nesbit. Edith Nesbit was born in London. She grew up in France, Germany and Kent, and wrote over 60 books of fiction for children, including Five... E. Nesbit

• Anne of Green Gables boxed set Anne of Green Gables, a childrens book by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery, was first published in 1908. Montgomery found her inspiration for the book in a newspaper article about a couple who were mistakenly sent an orphan girl instead of a boy... Anne of Green Gables ( 1908 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). Events January-February January 1 - A ball signifying New Years Day drops in New York Citys Times Square for the first time January 8 - A train collision occurs in the Park Avenue Tunnel in... 1908) by Lucy Maud Montgomery (November 30, 1874 - April 24, 1942) was a Canadian author, best known for a series of novels beginning with Anne of Green Gables. L.M. Montgomery She was born at Clifton, Prince Edward Island. She went to Prince of Wales College in Charlottetown, in order to get... L. M. Montgomery.

• Peter and Wendy ( 1911 is a common year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). Events January-June January 1 - Northern Territory is separated from South Australia January 3 - In London, in what becomes known as the Siege of Sidney Street, the Metropolitan Police and the Scots Guards engage in a shootout... 1911) by Sir James Matthew Barrie, Baronet, Scottish author Sir James Matthew Barrie, Baronet (May 9, 1860 - June 19, 1937), more commonly known as J. M. Barrie, was a Scottish novelist and dramatist. He is best known for creating the character Peter Pan, whom he based on his friends, the Llewellyn-Davies... J. M. Barrie (better known as Peter Pan is a fictional character created by J. M. Barrie, and the name of a stage play, a childrens book, and various adaptations of them. The character is a little boy who refuses to grow up, and spends his time having magical adventures. Storyline Spoiler warning: Plot or... Peter Pan)

• Winnie-the-Pooh is a fictional bear created by A. A. Milne. He appears in the books Winnie-the-Pooh (published October 14, 1926) and The House at Pooh Corner (1928). Milne also wrote two books of childrens poetry, When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six... Winnie-the-Pooh ( 1928 was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). Events January-May January 6- 7 - River Thames floods in London - 14 drowned January 17 - OGPU arrests Lev Trotsky in Moscow; he assumes a status of passive resistance and is exiled to Turkestan February - Kurume University... 1928) by Alan Alexander Milne (January 18, 1882 _ January 31, 1956), also known as A. A. Milne, is an English author best known for his books about the talking stuffed bear; Winnie the Pooh and for various childrens poems, some of which also feature Winnie-the-Pooh and friends. Biography... A. A. Milne.

• Mary Poppins (right, behind) as portrayed in the most famous adaptation of the character. Mary Poppins is a childrens book written by P. L. Travers (born Helen Lyndon Goff aka Pamela Lyndon Travers, Pamela L. Travers) and originally published in 1934 with illustrations by Mary Shepard. It became the... Mary Poppins ( 1934 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). Events January-April January 1 - Alcatraz becomes a federal prison. January 7 - First Flash Gordon comic strip is published. January 10 - Execution of Marinus van der Lubbe January 24 - Einstein visits White House January 26 - The... 1934) by ... Pamela Travers, and sequels.

• Five on a Treasure Island ( 1942 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). Events January January 1 - World War II: The word United Nations is first officially used to describe the Allied pact. January 2 - World War II: Manila is captured by Japanese forces. The Japanese Admiral stays in... 1942) by Enid Blyton (August 11, 1897 - November 28, 1968) was a British childrens author. She is noted particularly for numerous series of books, based on recurring characters and designed for different age groups. Her prolific output involved mainly escapist childrens fantasy, often but not always involving the supernatural. Her... Enid Blyton, and sequels

• Pippi Longstocking (Swedish Pippi Långstrump) is a fictional character in a series of childrens books created by author Astrid Lindgren. She is a nine-year-old girl with red braids that stick out sideways. She is very unconventional, assertive, extraordinarily strong, and rich. She lives alone with a... Pippi Longstocking ( 1944 was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). Events World War II January January 4 - The Battle of Monte Cassino begins. January 5 - Murder of Danish playwright Kaj Munk January 17 - British forces, in Italy, cross the Garigliano River. January 20 - The Royal Air... 1944) by Astrid Lindgren (November 14, 1907 _ January 28, 2002) was a Swedish childrens book author, whose many titles were translated into over 70 languages and published in more than 100 countries. Astrid Lindgren grew up in Smalandia in Sweden. Many of her books are based on her family and... Astrid Lindgren.

• Goodnight Moon is a childrens book written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd. It was first published in 1947, and is a highly-acclaimed example of a bedtime story. The content of the book is itself a bedtime story, depicting the process of saying goodnight to... Goodnight Moon ( 1947 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). Events January January 1 - British mines nationalized January 1 - Nigeria gains limited autonomy January 1 - The Canadian Citizenship Act went into effect January 3 - Proceedings of the U.S. Congress are televised for the first time... 1947) by Margaret Wise Brown (23 May 1910 - 13 November 1952) was a United States author of childrens literature, which include Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny. Brown was born in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and she attended boarding school in 1923 in Switzerland while her parents were in India. She later attended... Margaret Wise Brown

• The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is a fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis. It was the first of the Chronicles of Narnia to be written, in 1950, and is the best known. The Magicians Nephew is thus a prequel. Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details... The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe ( Events January January 5 - US Senator Estes Kefauver introduces a resolution calling for examination of organized crime in the USA January 6 - The United Kingdom recognizes the Peoples Republic of China. The Republic of China severs diplomatic relations with Britain in response. January 9 - The Israeli government recognizes the... 1950) by Clive Staples Lewis (November 29, 1898 – November 22, 1963), commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis, was an author and scholar. He was born in Belfast, Ireland. He adopted the name Jack, which is how he was known to his friends and acquaintances. He is known for his work... C. S. Lewis, and sequels.

• Charlotte's Web ( Summary of notable events in 1952. Events January events January 8 - West Germany has 8 million refugees inside its borders. January 24 - Sudden heavy snowfall in Algeria. January 24 - Vincent Massey sworn in as first Canada-born Governor-General of Canada. February events February 2 - A Cuba moving northeast. The... 1952) by Elwyn Brooks White (July 11, 1899–October 1, 1985) was an American essayist, author, and noted prose stylist. He is most famous today for a writers style guide, The Elements of Style, and for three childrens books generally considered to be classics of the field. White was born... E. B. White, about a spider who befriends a pig and saves him from being slaughtered.

• The Cat in the Hat is a fictional cat created by Dr. Seuss. He appears in two of Seusss rhymed childrens books. The Cat in the Hat In the first of the series (1957), the Cat brings a cheerful and exuberant form of chaos to the household of... The Cat in the Hat ( 1957 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). Events Environmental change The Africanized bee is accidentally released in Brazil The Asian Flu pandemic begins in China March 10 - Floodgates of The Dalles Dam are closed inundating Celilo Falls and ancient indian fisheries along the... 1957) by Dr. Seuss is the pen name of Theodor Seuss Geisel (March 2, 1904 - September 24, 1991). He was a famous American writer and cartoonist best known for his collection of childrens books. Life and work Geisel was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, on March 2, 1904. He graduated from Dartmouth... Dr. Seuss

• The Weirdstone of Brisingamen is a fantasy story for children (but also enjoyed by adults) by the author Alan Garner, first published in 1960. It is set in and around Macclesfield and Alderley Edge, Cheshire, and relates the tale of two children, Colin and Susan, holidaying there. The story centres... The Weirdstone of Brisingamen ( 1960 was a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). Events January-February January - State of emergency is lifted in Kenya - Mau Mau Rebellion is officially over January 1 - Independence of Cameroon January 9 - Aswan High Dam construction begins in Egypt January 14 - Ralph Chubb, the... 1960) by Alan Garner (born October 17, 1934) is a British writer whose work is firmly rooted in his local Cheshire culture, both linguistically and thematically. His very early writing was mainly for children and could be ascribed to the category of fantasy fiction, though he rejects any ghettoization of his work... Alan Garner

• Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak is an illustrated childrens book (ISBN 0060254920, ISBN 0099408392). It describes through fantasy how a young boy, Max in a distictive wolf suit, handles his anger at being sent to his room without supper. It was awarded the Caldecott Medal in... Where the Wild Things Are ( 1964 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). Events January January 1 - Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. January 3 - Senator Barry Goldwater announces that he will seek the Republican nomination for President. January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the... 1964) by Maurice Sendak (born June 10, 1928) is an artist and creator of childrens literature who is best known for his book Where The Wild Things Are, published in 1963. A sickly child, Sendak decided to become an illustrator for children after he was influenced by Walt Disneys film... Maurice Sendak

• For the 2005 film, see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (movie). Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a book for children by British author Roald Dahl. The book is noted for its casual, easy language, its detailed descriptions, and what can only be described as science fiction for children. The... Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ( 1964 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). Events January January 1 - Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. January 3 - Senator Barry Goldwater announces that he will seek the Republican nomination for President. January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the... 1964) by Patricia Neal and Roald Dahl, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1954 Roald Dahl (September 13, 1916–November 23, 1990) was a British novelist and short story author of Norwegian descent, famous both as a writer of childrens fiction as well as adult and horror fiction. Among his most... Roald Dahl, a novel about a young boy who receives a once-in-a-lifetime chance to visit the near-magical Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. It was succeeded by Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator is the sequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory also written by Roald Dahl. The book contains the further adventures of Charlie, his parents, his grandparents, and Willy Wonka, owner of the most magnificient chocolate factory in the world. Spoiler warning: Plot or ending... Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator. Other children's books by Roald Dahl include James and the Giant Peach is a childrens book by Roald Dahl, originally illustrated by Nancy Ekholm Burkert, first published in the USA in 1961 by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. and then in London in 1967 by Allen and Unwin. Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow. James Henry... James and the Giant Peach, Fantastic Mr Fox is a childrens book written by Roald Dahl, and illustrated by Tony Ross. It is about a family of foxes who are under threat of being killed by an alliance of three angry farmers - Boggis (a chicken farmer), Bunce (a duck and goose farmer) and Bean... Fantastic Mr Fox, and The Witches is a book for children by Roald Dahl first published in London in 1983 by Jonathan Cape. Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow. The books witches are a well-connected organisation with one goal: the elimination of as many children as possible, ideally all of them... The Witches (winner of the 1983 The Whitbread Book Awards are among the United Kingdoms most prestigious literary awards. Currently each year winners are chosen in five categories, novel, first novel, childrens, poetry, and biography. Each category winner receives £5000. One of the category winners is selected as the Book of the Year and... Whitbread Award) and Matilda.

• A Wizard of Earthsea, first published in 1968, is the first of a series of books written by Ursula K. Le Guin and set in her fantasy archipelago of Earthsea. The tale of the eponymous wizard – after this, his first great adventure – continues in The Tombs of Atuan... A Wizard of Earthsea ( 1968 was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). Events Undated Booker Prize for Fiction is established by Booker plc. 1968 is known as the year of the Prague Spring and also the year of the Paris riots. The ASCII character code is... 1968) by Ursula K. Le Guin at an informal bookstore Q&A session, July 2004 Ursula Kroeber Le Guin (born October 21, 1929), is an American author. While she has written novels, poetry, childens books, and essays, she is best known for her science fiction and fantasy, which she has... Ursula K. Le Guin, and sequels.

• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone ( 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Reef. Events January January 3 - NBCs Today Show Bryant Gumbel signs off for the last time January 8 - Mister Rogers receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame... 1997) by Joanne Rowling OBE (born July 31, 1965 in Chipping Sodbury, South Gloucestershire), commonly known as J.K. Rowling (pronunciation: roll-ing; her former students used to joke with her name calling her the Rolling Stone), is a British fiction writer. Rowling is most famous for being the author of the... J. K. Rowling, and sequels.

See also

• Young adult (YA) literature, while only recognized as a legitimate genre for a relatively short time, is a collection of books that can range from science fiction to autobiography. The genre usually is described as works of realistic fiction that involve ideas and transitions that young adults are concerned about... Young adult literature
• List of children's literature authors
• This is a list of well-known illustrators. George Barbier Carl Barks Aubrey Beardsley Adriano Monteiro Quentin Blake Mary Blair Hannes Bok Pierre Brissaud Brom Graham Clarke Peter Connolly Kinuko Y. Craft Jack Davis Gilbert Delahaye David Delamare Gustave Doré Richard Doyle Albrecht Dürer Mary Hallock Foote Eric Gill... List of illustrators
• A fairy tale is a story, either told to children or as if told to children, concerning the adventures of mythical characters such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, giants, and others. The fairy tale is a sub-class of the folktale. These stories often involve princes and princesses, and modern... Fairy tales
• List of publishers of Childrens books Gallimard Jeunesse J. Lumsden and Son Tabart and Co. Puffin books Scholastic Small World Publishing Usborne Publishing Categories: Book publishers ... Publishers of children books
• The Three Graces, here in a painting by Sandro Botticelli, were the goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity and fertility in Greek mythology. Fiction is the term used to describe works of the imagination. This is in contrast to non-fiction, which makes factual claims about reality. A large... Fiction
• Coloring book
• Children's fantasy

External links

• Online Resources for K-12 Teachers: Children's and Adolescent Literature (http://www.ericdigests.org/2000-3/online.htm)
• Using Literature To Help Children Cope with Problems (http://www.ericdigests.org/2000-3/cope.htm)
• Exploring the Function of Heroes and Heroines in Children's Literature from around the World (http://www.ericdigests.org/2004-1/heroes.htm)
• Multicultural Children's Literature in the Elementary Classroom (http://www.ericdigests.org/1999-2/literature.htm)
• Achuka - British children's books resource (http://www.achuka.co.uk/)
• Children's eTexts (http://www.gutenberg.org/catalog/world/results?subject=Children) at Project Gutenberg (PG) was launched by Michael Hart in 1971 in order to provide a library, on what would later become the Internet, of free electronic versions (sometimes called e-texts) of physically existing books. The texts provided are mostly in the public domain, either because they were never under... Project Gutenberg
• More Children's eTexts (http://www.gutenberg.org/catalog/world/results?locc=PZ) at Project Gutenberg (PG) was launched by Michael Hart in 1971 in order to provide a library, on what would later become the Internet, of free electronic versions (sometimes called e-texts) of physically existing books. The texts provided are mostly in the public domain, either because they were never under... Project Gutenberg