The importance of children’s literature as a field of scholarship and study cannot be overstated. As the genre foundational to literacy, cognitive development, and early education, the literature of childhood has a profound impact on each individual child and subsequent adult. In order to utilize these literatures effectively, sympathetically, and helpfully, practitioners in a variety of professions–including but certainly not limited to K-12 teaching, juvenile justice, pediatrics, etc.–should be conversant in the function of children’s literature itself and the characteristics of high quality children’s literature that may be assigned, utilized, or recommended in the course of interactions with child readers and their parents. In addition, children’s literature describes much that academia approaches in the wider genres of the literary world; the same human themes, imagery, and ideals are processed through the stories of childhood as appear in later literatures for adults, often in more foundational form. What better way to understand the art of human expression in writing than to understand where and how our appreciation of it begins, in youth?

The history of children’s literature in the English language reaches back to the Victorians, but has its true roots—like all literature—in the traditional tales that have entertained and educated humans of all ages for millennia. Children’s literature is distinguished from other literatures, however, by the centrality of its purpose and the nature of its narratives. For nearly two hundred years, children’s literature in English has attempted to teach children at the same time as engaging them in imaginative play, to varying degrees of success. The first books for children were heavily didactic and while different eras have trended more or less toward imagining and entertaining, most children’s books retain that edifying core, transmitting values or lessons either overtly or subtextually.

Our purpose here is not to present a complete anthology of children’s literature, but rather to offer a starting place for students, educators, and scholars with a special emphasis on the older, classic texts that may be foundational to beginning studies in the field. This anthology includes examples from traditional stories all the way through the long history of children’s literature, arranged in a rough chronology that allows the scholar to follow the evolution of the genre and the key subgenres and forms that define it. Each section includes an introduction which contextualizes the subgenre in its historical moment as well as discussing its distinct characteristics. The literature in this anthology has been sourced from the public domain and is focused on material up to the early twentieth century, in the interest in encouraging engagement with the history of children’s literature. Readers are encouraged to consider this text as the beginning of their inquiry into the field of children’s literature. References and further readings are included at the end of each section introduction.

Note to readers:

Spellings have not been corrected; they are true to the edition from which the text was taken. For example, honour, the British spelling was not corrected to honor, the American spelling. Some older spellings will also be found in some of the texts. An example is the use of “waggon” for “wagon” in “Whittington and His Cat.” These are not spelling errors or editorial errors, but our decision is to stay true to the older editions from which these various readings have been borrowed.

Readers will also notice older usages in the works originating centuries earlier. “Telleth” for “tell”  or “willst” for “will” may slow the reader, without hindering understanding of the text. These spellings are not Old English, nor are they Middle English. Linguistically these spellings are Modern English. Language evolves. Usages, such as “thee” and “thou,” become obsolete. The original spellings and usages retain the integrity of each text and its historical era.

Teresa M. Purvis and Sarah E. Gibbons, The Editors
Lansing Community College
June, 2023