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children's literature

Works specifically written for children. The earliest known illustrated children's book in English is Goody Two Shoes (1765), possibly written by Oliver Goldsmith. Fairy tales were originally part of a vast range of oral literature, credited only to the writer who first recorded them, such as Charles Perrault. During the 19th century several writers, including Hans Christian Andersen, wrote original stories in the fairy-tale genre; others, such as the Grimm brothers, collected (and sometimes adapted) existing stories.

19th century

Early children's stories were written with a moral purpose; this was particularly true in the 19th century, apart from the unique case of Lewis Carroll's Alice books. The late 19th century was the great era of children's literature in the UK, with Lewis Carroll, Beatrix Potter, Charles Kingsley, and J M Barrie. It was also the golden age of illustrated children's books, with such artists as Kate Greenaway and Randolph Caldecott. In the USA, Louisa May Alcott's Little Women (1869) and its sequels found a wide audience. Adventure stories have often appealed to children even when these were written for adults; examples include Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe; the satirical Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift; and Tom Sawyer (1876) and Huckleberry Finn (1884) by Mark Twain.

20th century

Among the most popular 20th-century children's writers in English in the UK have been Kenneth Grahame (The Wind in the Willows, 1908) and A A Milne (Winnie the Pooh, 1926); and, in the USA, Laura Ingalls Wilder (Little House on the Prairie, 1935), E B White (Stuart Little, 1945, Charlotte's Web, 1952), and Dr Seuss (The Cat in the Hat, 1957). The Canadian Lucy Maud Montgomery's series that began with Anne of Green Gables (1908) was widely popular. Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach (1961) is the first of his popular children's books, which summon up primitive emotions and are dominated by moral themes. More realistic stories for teenagers are written by US authors such as Judy Blume and S E Hinton. Towards the end of the 20th century and into the 21st century, the Harry Potter series by English author J K Rowling, which ventures into the world of wizardry, became exceptionally popular.

Fantasy

Many children's writers have been influenced by J R R Tolkien, whose The Hobbit (1937) and its sequel, the three-volume Lord of the Rings (1954-55), are set in the comprehensively imagined world of Middle-earth. His friend C S Lewis produced the allegorical chronicles of Narnia, including The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950). Rosemary Sutcliff's (The Eagle of the Ninth, 1954), Philippa Pearce's (Tom's Midnight Garden, 1958), and Penelope Lively's (The Wild Hunt of Hagworthy, 1971) are other outstanding books by children's authors who have exploited an enduring fascination with time travel.

Picture books Writers for younger children combining stories and illustrations of equally high quality include Maurice Sendak (Where the Wild Things Are, 1963) and Quentin Blake (Mister Magnolia, 1980).

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