EDRG 3321

The history of children's literature begins with the oral tradition of children listening as the values of their elders were passed down. Early printed children's books treated children as small adults to be instructed on manners, morality, and spiritual behavior. The first of these types of books made thanks to the invention of the printing press that mass produced print and was mounted on wood. It wasn't until the publication of "Pilgrim's Progress" that literature began to give some entertainment to children instead of just instructing them in spiritual and moral matters. With adventure and exciting characters, it was entertaining to children. Ideas about children began to change, and with those changes, came changes in literature. But the literature was geared towards the upper middle class children, while those in poverty spent their time working to keep surviving. There were some authors who chose to write about the less fortunate children, using children as the main characters for their stories but still it was mainly those better off that got to enjoy the written words. Ilustrations also had changes from woodcuts that were colored in to brightly colored, fanciful pictures that were appealing to children. Many more types of books were becoming available besides the beautifully illustrated picture books, Books about adventure, fantasy, and real people were becoming popular with the upper middle class children, who were now, by the 1800's, less expected to be miniature adults and instead able to be more free. It showed a changing attitude towards children, where they were beginning to allow them to develop naturally. Eventually books became available for all children and despite censorship, have access to a variety of genres. As times have changed and the structure of a typical family have changed, so have the books written. When God and family were most important, literature stressed conscience and traditional family roles of men and women. When times changed and optimism ruled the day, especially in America, familes in literature were portrayed as happy and secure, children had few problems, and patriotism was strong. From the 1960's to present day, families and personal values have changed dramatically and are reflected in literature with children facing problems that the girls in "Little Women" could have never imagined. The range of literature has broadened to encompass so many different genres that there is surley a book for every type of person in the world.
I, for one, am glad that literature changed with the changing world. I imagine I would have been very bored reading the limited text that was once available for children. I don't think children really understood the grown up language that was being pressed upon them so long ago but they had no choice. Toda, there are so many choices for which I'm thankful for. I have one son who loves to read fantasy/adventure and the other one prefers to read about science or cartoon editions of Garfield and Zits. At least they are both reading and have such a variety to choose from.
Since ther are so many choices now, I think classrooms should have a variety of genres and should include the early classics like Robinson Crusoe, Oliver Twist, and Little Women beside biographies and realistic fiction. Of course, younger children can be introduced to various genres with books specifically written for their age group. I am a true advocate of reading and plan to have many different books in my classroom. I have saved all the wonderful books I read to my children and the dozens I have bought from their scholastic book orders and plan to have a wonderful classroom library. I will enjoy sharing the same books I read to my sons with my own classroom.