children

WORLD OF THE CHILD

Stories: After 1850
The second half of the nineteenth century was the golden age of children's literature in England and the United States. Great writers teamed with great illustrators to produce the books we still consider classics. The industrial revolution led to advances in printing which made books colorful, affordable, and plentiful. The growing middle class, with its increased interest in education, expanded the audience for children's books.

Uncle Tom's Cabin,
One of the most influencial books of nineteenth-century America, was first published in book form in 1852. Within a year, simplified editions for children appeared in both the United States and England. In this retelling, portions of the story are in verse. An introduction states: "this little work is designed to adapt Mrs. Stowe's touching narrative to the understandings of the youngest readers and to foster in their hearts a generous sympathy for the wronged Negro race of America."

Tom Brown's School Days. (Thomas Hughes 1819-1896)
Tom Brown's School Days was the first of the great school stories, a genre still popular with teenaged readers. The problems of fitting in and dealing with bullies had a sense of reality that made it appealing to a young audience when it was first published in 1857. The frontispiece in this 1911 edition was painted by Frank Schoonover, the well-known Wilmington illustrator and student of Howard Pyle.

The Water-babies: A Fairy Tale for a Land-baby. (Charles Kingsley ,1819-1875)

An immensely popular book in its time which combines gentle fantasy with social commentary, The Water-babies tells the story of an abused child chimney-sweep who drowns and turns into an immortal water creature. The book's didacticism has made it seem old-fashioned today, particularly when compared to Alice in Wonderland, published two years later.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. ( Lewis Carroll, 1832-1898 )

While many books written for adults are enjoyed by children, Alice is the rare children's work which is equally appealing to adults. As illustrated by John Tenniel, many characters including the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, and the Red Queen are instantly recognizable. The story and many of its memorable and witty lines, have passed into our common vocabulary. This copy is one of the Second American issue of the first edition.

(S. Weir Mitchell, 1829-1914).

The Wonderful Stories of Fuz-buz the Fly and Mother Grabem the Spider.

S. Weir Mitchell was a well-known Philadelphia physician, neurologist, poet, and novelist. His best known novel is Hugh Wynne Free Quaker which was illustrated by Howard Pyle. Fuz-buz was one of the two children's stories he wrote at the beginning of his career.

©Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott & Co., 1867

( Louisa May Alcott, 1832-1888).

Little Women, or, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy.

Based on her own girlhood, Louisa May Alcott's domestic drama presented a family that seemed real. While there is some sermonizing in Little Women, there is also human reaction against the over-moralizing. The heroine Jo, is outspoken and independent, uninterested in ladylike behavior and an early marriage. The relationship between adults and children is more equal and less authoritarian than most other nineteenth-century books for young people. As the success of the recent movie version of Little Women shows, Alcott's story still has something to say to young people.

©Boston: Roberts,1868

The Wonderful Leaps of Sam Patch.

McLoughlin Brothers published a series of picture books or toy books with large chromolithographic illustrations. This one is particularly interesting for its depictions of small town American life.

©New york Mcloughlin Brothers ,circa 1870

( Mark Twain, 1835-1910.)
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

Of all of Twain's stories, Tom Sawyer is the one most clearly written for children. An adult audience was also sought, as Twain writes in the preface: "Although my book is intended mainly for the entertainment of boys and girls, I hope it will not be shunned by men and women on that account, for part of my plan has been to try pleasantly to remind adults of what they once were themselves, and of how they felt and thought and talked, and what queer enterprises they sometimes engaged in."

©Hartford:American Pub.Co., 1876

( Mark Twain, 1835-1910).
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Tom Sawyer's Comrade).

The genius of Huckleberry Finn is its combination of an exciting narrative and a moral view that questioned the American society of its day. It was not written as a children's book, but young people can relate to the brave resourceful hero who rebelled against the hypocrisy of the adult world. Unfortunately, adults still have problems with the book; after a hundred years it is still one of the books most often banned.

©New york :C.L.Webster and Co., 1885

( Rudyard Kipling, 1865-1936).

The Jungle Book. .

The story of a boy raised by wolves in India was enormously popular for over fifty years. Edgar Rice Burrough's Tarzan books were clearly inspired by Kipling. By the second half of this century, however, the imperialism and racism implicit in the stories made Kipling seem dated and inappropriate for children. Walt Disney's simplified movie version made it popular again for a much younger audience.

©J.L.Kipling,W.H. Drake , and P.Frenzeny 1894

( Palmer Cox, 1840-1924).

Brownie Year Book.

The Brownies first appeared in the pages of St. Nicholas, a children's magazine, but their tremendous popularity led to eleven Brownie books as well as Brownie clothing, decorations, and other items. The depictions of ethnic groups and nationalities were stereotypic as were most popular images of the time.

©New York:Mcloughlin Brothers ,1895

(L. Frank Baum, 1856-1919.)

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

While The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a fantasy, its rural setting and plain-speaking characters make it a truly American story. Like Tenniel's drawings for Alice in Wonderland, W.W. Denslow's illustrations have become firmly linked with Baum's tale. Baum and other authors continued writing books about Oz, but none came near the first, in either originality or popularity.

©Chicago:G.M.Hill Co., 1900

(Peter Newell, 1862-1924).

The Rocket Book.

Peter Newell's work was unusual in that he wrote, illustrated, and designed the books so that the novel aspect of the books, in this case a die-cut hole going throught the book, becomes an integral part of the story rather than a gimmick. The story tells of a rocket which travels upward through twenty floors of an apartment building. The Rocket Book is also unusual for depicting children living in an urban environment.

©N.Y:Harperb & Brothers, 1912

( Henry Gilbert).

Robin Hood and the Men of the Greenwood.

The adventures of Robin Hood have thrilled children since their first appearance around the year 1500. Many illustrators have also been inspired by the exciting tales. This collaboration between Gilbert and the illustrator Walter Crane is aimed at the older child or young adult reader. Crane's style with its clear black outlines and bright but limited color palette, captures the medieval flavor of the story.

©Edindurgh and London : T.C & E.C. Jack,1912

(Robert Louis Stevenson, 1850-1894).

Treasure Island.

This edition of one of the greatest adventure stories ever written is illustrated by N. C. Wyeth, one of this century's best fantasy artists. A student of Howard Pyle, Wyeth combined his teacher's dynamic designs with his own brilliant use of color.

©N.Y:Charles Scribner´s Sons,1911

( Mary Mapes Dodge, 1830-1905.)

Hans Brinker, or, The Silver Skates,
Although best known for this story of a Dutch boy, Mary Mapes Dodge was most influential as the editor of St. Nicholas, the leading children's magazine of the late nineteenth century. Peter Hurd, the illustrator, was the son-in-law of N. C. Wyeth. While influenced by the Brandywine School artists, Hurd's greatest inspiration was the light and landscape of his native New Mexico.

(Sidney Lanier ).

The Boy's King Arthur: Sir Thomas Malory's History of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round TableS

This popular retelling of the Arthurian legend modernized the spelling in Malory's original and made other cuts "as seemed necessary for propriety," but attempted to keep the original tone. N. C. Wyeth, Howard Pyle's greatest student and founder of the Wyeth artistic dynasty, excelled in the use of color to create atmosphere.

(A. A. Milne, 1882-1956.)

The House at Pooh Corner.
Among the most beloved books for young children for nearly three quarters of a century, the stories of Christopher Robin and Pooh have become more familiar to today's toddlers than Mother Goose. Sadly, the gentle drawings by Ernest Shepard seem to be overshadowed by the cartoon images of the Disney version.

ADVENTURE STORIES

In England, the growing popularity of adventure stories coincided with Britain's emergence as a great military and naval power which had an expanding empire and growing foreign markets for its manufactured goods. Middle-class boys expected to work abroad in commerce, the army, or as public servants. In the United States, the opening of the frontier provided American boys with the possibilities of an exciting future. While girls did not have the job opportunities, they could at least see themselves as wives and mothers living in these exotic locales.
The great scientific and societal changes of the early twentieth century had a great influence on the adventure story. The exploits of the World War I fliers replaced the cowboy and big game hunter in the dreams of young boys. The more active role of women in society was reflected by the growth of female heroines like Nancy Drew. Science fiction began to develop as a separate genre, although the story lines remained the same whether the locale was India, the Yukon Territory, or Saturn. Many of these adventure stories were published in long series, written by different writers all using the same name. The best known was the Stratemeyer Literary Syndicate which produced such series as the Rover Boys, the Hardy Boys, Tom Swift, the Bobbsey Twins, and Nancy Drew between 1906 and 1984.

Lela Emogene Owens Rogers.
Ginger Rogers and the Riddle of the Scarlet Cloak; an original story featuring Ginger Rogers, famous motion-picture star, as the heroine. Racine, Wis.: Whitman Publishing Company, 1942.

This page is maintained by vifresal@alumni .uv.es