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John Newbery (1713-1767) - London Bookstore
In St. Paul's Churchyard, London, John Newbery opened a bookstore where he sold and published children's book. John Newbery is considered "The Father of Children's Literature". Chapboooks, battledores, and hornbooks were the only books that children were given. Newbery's books were purposely used to teach children how to behave properly. -
The author of the first American book for children
Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of the first American book for children, wrote A Wonder Book for Boys and Girls. However, during this time, England was still known as the major source of children literature. England also led the way to the idea of global publishing. -
Alice in Wonderland
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol was one example of how books evolved to nurture children's imagination rather than for instructions. This book and it's sequel, Through the Looking Glass, was written to clearly please children. This book does not have a moral or lesson. -
Child Labor Laws Passed
Children were allowed to go to school in 1907 when the first child labor laws were passed. With more children going to school, the amount of books that were being published grew quickly. Also during this time, new technologies came into play to reduce the cost of publishing. With the growth of literature, children books began developing their own departments in libraries and became more profitable. -
Macmillan Publishing House
The Macmillan publishing house opened a department devoted entirely for children's literature. Louise Bechtel Seamen was put as the head of the department. -
Picturebooks
In the 1920's, picture books began to develop and continued through the 1930s. -
Establishment
The American Library Association established the John Newbery Award in 1922. -
First Children's Books Editors
Helen Dean Fish and May Massee became the first children's books editors. They worked in different companies. (1922-1923) -
Bertha Mahony & Elinor Whitney
These two women guided the publishing of the Horn Book Magazine by the Bookshop for Boys and Girls in Boston -
May Massee - Book Department
In 1933, at Viking, Massee opened a children's book department which began the movement of many other publishers opening departments for children's literature. This movement helped children's literature to grow much bigger into the twentieth century. -
Establishment
The Randolph Caldecott Award was established by the American Library Association in 1938 -
Increase in Importance
In the 1940s, children's literature and books for young adults began to become more important in libraries, schools, homes, and publishing houses. This continued throughout the years til the 1960s. During these times, the wide vast of public libraries had departments and rooms that were strictly devoted to children's literature and readings for young adults. -
Harriet Rohmer
Rohmer established Children's Book Press which was devoted to publishing bilingual picturebooks. These books reflected a diversity of cultures. -
Lack of Diversity
Around the 1988, some publishing houses and editors had realized the lack of diversity in the field. So, some dedicated themselves to address this issue such as Just Us Books, a publishing house, and Phyllis Fogelman, a publisher at Dial.
