Debate
regarding origins of children's literature exists, as early examples seem to
have come from literature written for adults but subsequently consumed by
children.
Over
time, key changes have resulted from
1. the emergence of the child as
the intended audience and
2. Technological advancements,
including those improving the capacity for illustrations and the Internet,
which has changed traditional definition of what a book is and how it is
delivered.
Early
children's literature aimed at imparting life lessons or to educate children eg
the alphabet. Eg fairytales then The New
England Primer (1689)
Reading
for enjoyment emerged in the early 1700s although these books may also have
included lessons. Examples included Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty.
Newbury
in mid1700s first recognised the importance for children to be considered the
intended audience, publishing books eg A Pretty Little Pocket-Book aimed at
children, with the purpose to "instruct and amuse" (Barone, 2010, p. 10).
Children's
literature also began to be created in written rather than oral form and more
often written purely for enjoyment rather than education.
1800s saw
popularity of fairytales such as Grimms, with characters such as evil
stepmothers, intended for the developing middle class demographic. Grimms tales
often originally centred on strong female characters, however Lurie argues that
these were largely altered by Grimms whilst rewriting them for child audiences
(as cited by Barone, 2010, p.11). Emergence
of Anderson as a key tale author.
Early
1900s also saw move of publishing from UK to US, leading to rise in stories
containing American patriotism, and expansion of genres written for children,
eg family, adventure, science fiction, fantasy, animal stories, poetry (Barone,
2010, p. 11). Late 1800s development in
printing lowered costs for quality colour printing expanding production of
picture books and literature for enjoyment outgrew didactic books (Barone, 2010,
p. 11). Libraries and librarians presided over what and where children read and
held responsibility for awards (Barone, 2010, p. 12).
Early
1900s saw rise of children's literature divisions in publishing houses and
separation of books for poorer children vs those who could afford higher quality
books. Series fiction grew in popularity
with readers, although these were not available in public libraries and rise of
comic books after mid 1930s worried librarians.
Introduction of the Newbery Medal award. Key developments of this time
were the targeting of the children's market by publishers, creation of library
reading rooms for children, series fiction and comic books, and first picture
book and fantasy written by American authors (Barone, 2010, p. 13).
As boos
were relatively expensive at approximately $2 each, introduction of Golden
Books into supermarkets at 25c each proved popular with parents able to afford
multiple purchases. Golden Books were innovative in their development, rarely
identifying the author or illustrator, and covering a multitude of topics
including popular culture eg Disneyland, TV characters, traditional literature,
alphabet, nursery rhymes, occupations, information etc. 1960s saw Golden Books
criticised for lack of diversity resulting in increased racial representations
and removal of gender and cultural stereotypes (Barone, 2010, p. 14).
Current
trends have seen authors and illustrators build upon rather than merely repeat
previous works. Barone (2010, p. 14) describes examples of such developments
including:
1. Development of picture
storybook expanding ways in which text and illustrations interact
2. New illustration media eg
greater use of colour and digitally created artworks
3. Expansion of topic and issue
to include sensitive topics or explicit information
4. Genre complexity - perhaps
more than one genre represented
5. Acknowledgement of racial
diversity
6. Expansion of informational
texts covering an ever widening range of topics
7. Greater access to
international books
8. Emergence of graphic novels
with some classics rewritten as graphic novels
9. Return of didacticism many
written by celebrities delivering strong messages
10. Success of book series eg
Harry Potter
11. Emergence of Tweens 8 -12 yrs,
as subdivision of children's literature
12. Books with multimedia
components, eg associated websites
13. Books written collaboratively
over the Internet - see Library of Congress The
Exquisite Corpse Adventure
Zipes
(2009, as cited in Barone, 2010, p. 17) contends that despite the positives
several concerns exist. Particularly
1. Will rise in digital technologies
inhibit children's ability to engage in prolonged reading?
2. Will the classification of
children as consumers come at the expense of quality literature?
3. Will design changes cause
images to be more important than words?
Zipes also contends that children "are
not as literate as their parents were in the domain of literature" (as cited in Barone, 2010, p. 17).
Other
important changes in the industry have resulted from consolidation in
publishing houses resulting in fewer operators controlling what literature gets
published. As schools, libraries and large booksellers are able to purchase
quantities at lower prices, small booksellers are unable to compete. Further,
what gets published is also restricted by the need for schools to purchase
curriculum related texts and booksellers to select profit maximising titles.
Reference: Barone, D. M. (2011). A brief history of
children's literature. Children's literature in the classroom : engaging
lifelong readers (pp. 8-19). New York: Guilford Press.
