I.

Introduction

Children's Literature, writing and illustration designed for children, to be read to them or by them; material for children between 12 and 18 years old is sometimes called “young adult” literature. Children’s literature includes almost every type of writing and illustration—from fiction to picture books, and from the simplest board-books for babies to sophisticated multimedia texts. While there are many commercially produced series, such as animal and pony books, romances, and horror stories, children’s literature is often serious and sometimes features controversial material. It also includes texts no longer thought to be suitable for adults (although they might not actually be suitable for children), such as riddles, fables, legends, myths, and fairy tales. Nursery rhymes, playground songs, and folktales preserve some of the oldest material from the oral tradition.

The history of children’s literature follows a similar pattern all over the world. Before printing develops, children share stories with adults. When printing is introduced, books for children are rare, and at first largely educational; children tend to adopt books written for adults, which are often derived from the culture’s traditional stories. Gradually, books which are predominantly for entertainment emerge, often in conflict with moral and religious educators; finally, children’s books are seen as an important part of the culture, and the market is exploited commercially. In many countries, this process has been strongly influenced by colonialism, and the imposition (notably in Africa) of written culture upon oral cultures.

English-language children’s literature has had a dominant influence across the world: very few books are translated into English, but in countries such as France, up to half of the children’s books published will have been translated from English. In the 18th and 19th centuries, British books strongly influenced the United States; in the late 20th century and early 21st century, the reverse has been the case. Australia (and to a lesser extent New Zealand) has developed a strong, individual, and experimental children’s literature.

In Britain, printed children’s literature began to emerge as an independent and distinct form, specifically marketed for children, only as late as the mid-18th century, and in most European countries it is a 19th-century phenomenon. It has become one of the most important areas of publishing; approximately 7,000 titles were published in Britain in 1997, and there were approximately 35,000 titles in print. It is estimated that over 20,000 English-language children’s books were published in 2000. The cultural influence of children’s books is therefore enormous.