Today the idea of Children’s literature often invokes
elements of delight and entertainment, along with a sense of its
containing some underlying lesson to be learned by its unsuspecting
readers. How we think about Children’s literature today, however,
represents a long evolution in ideas and opinions. Well into the
nineteenth century Children’s literature was highly focused on
instruction and quite devoid of delight. Its sole intention was to
educate its young readers in order to obtain their spiritual
salvation.
This dour approach to Children’s book is seen in James Janeway introduction to A Token for Children,
(1672) “They are not too little to die. They are not too little to go
to hell.” His comments epitomized the seventeenth century Puritan
sentiment that the main reason for reading was to gain moral and
spiritual instruction. Indeed, the few works published specifically for
children before the middle of the eighteenth century were of an
exclusively educational nature, such as catechisms, primers, and ABC
books.
However, with the advent of English publisher and bookseller John Newbery’s A Little Pretty Pocket Book in 1744, the phrase "Instruction with delight" – originally from the Roman poet Horace's The Art of Poetry
– became a catch-phrase for Children’s literature and a new way to
think about Children’s books. Looking at the development of books for
children over time provides us with insights into not only what people
read to children, but also how adults thought about children as well as
childhood. Moreover, Children’s literature provides valuable insights
into a variety of cultural beliefs, and thus serves as a powerful
indicator of social change.
This essay, and the exhibit which it accompanies, looks at
Children’s literature in several different ways. Major themes include:
- Moral and cultural education
- Literacy
- Images of the Child
- Illustrative Styles
Each of these themes is illustrated with books drawn from
the Lucile Clarke Memorial Children’s Library, housed in the Clarke
Library and the Betty A. McDonald Children’s Literature Collection, a
component part of CMU’s University Library.
In addition, a selection of original art work, created for
children’s books, has been drawn from the Clarke Library’s Francis and
Mary Lois Molson collection, an outstanding collection of original work
displaying the abilities of many of America’s leading illustrators.