The History of Children's Books

What is the first children's book? Who wrote it?

There is no clear answer on who wrote the very first children's book that we are familiar with today (board books, concept books, etc.) that I found in my research, but by the end of the 18th century, children's books publishing was definitely flourishing.

Prior to the children's books we know today, children, of course, learned to read with books of fables, fairy tales, and basic primers. Or by looking at a manuscript of letters and numbers. Much like we do today with teaching the next generation to read.

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Early topics of the stories were about morals and manners, often told with riddles and rhymes. How to behave, to not lean against surfaces, to be seen and not heard. You know, not the fun stuff, but part of socializing and setting expectations of behavior in society. Then you get to the fun stories and characters that are more familiar today.

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One of the earliest children's books cited is by Lydgate.

"Puer ad Mensam is ascribed to John Lydgate, about 1430, and is in the Lambeth Manuscripts. The Babees Book, in the Harleian Manuscripts, was written about 14th, for children of royal or noble blood then serving as pages in palace or castle. The English version is translated from the original Latin, but both author and translator are unknown."

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The most common celebrated "father" of children's books is John Newbery, who wrote A Little Pretty Pocket-Book Intended for the Instruction and Amusement of Little Master Tommy and Pretty Miss Polly, published in 1744. It was accompanied by a pincushion for girls and a ball for boys. 

While there is no clear answer on who wrote the first children's book and what the first children's book was, it was fascinating to read some rhymes and themes that were common in the first "wave" of children's book publishing.

In the coming months, I'll be sharing what I learn about children's books. What burning questions do you have about children's books?

For more in depth information about the history of children's books, check out the Atlantic and British Library.