Portal:Children's literature
The Children's Literature Portal
Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader, from picture books for the very young to young adult fiction.
Children's literature can be traced to traditional stories like fairy tales, that have only been identified as children's literature in the eighteenth century, and songs, part of a wider oral tradition, that adults shared with children before publishing existed. The development of early children's literature, before printing was invented, is difficult to trace. Even after printing became widespread, many classic "children's" tales were originally created for adults and later adapted for a younger audience. Since the fifteenth century much literature has been aimed specifically at children, often with a moral or religious message. Children's literature has been shaped by religious sources, like Puritan traditions, or by more philosophical and scientific standpoints with the influences of Charles Darwin and John Locke. The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries are known as the "Golden Age of Children's Literature" because many classic children's books were published then. (Full article...)
Selected article
The Hobbit is a fantasy novel and children's book by J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published on 21 September 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the New York Herald Tribune for best juvenile fiction. The book remains popular and is recognized as a classic in children's literature. Set in a time "Between the Dawn of Færie and the Dominion of Men", The Hobbit follows the quest of home-loving hobbit Bilbo Baggins to win a share of the treasure guarded by the dragon, Smaug. Bilbo's journey takes him from light-hearted, rural surroundings into darker, deeper territory. The story is told in the form of an episodic quest, and most chapters introduce a specific creature, or type of creature, of Tolkien's Wilderland. By accepting the disreputable, romantic, fey and adventurous side of his nature and applying his wits and common sense, Bilbo develops a new level of maturity, competence and wisdom. Themes of personal growth and forms of heroism figure in the story. Along with conflict, these themes lead critics to cite Tolkien's own experiences, and those of other writers who fought in World War I, as instrumental in shaping the story. The author's scholarly knowledge of Anglo-Saxon literature and interest in fairy tales are also often noted as influences. Due to the book's critical and financial success, Tolkien's publishers requested a sequel, which became The Lord of the Rings. The work has never been out of print since the paper shortages of the Second World War. Its ongoing legacy encompasses many adaptations for stage, screen, radio, and gaming, both board and video games.
Selected picture
An illustration by L. Leslie Brooke showing the Big Bad Wolf blowing down the straw house of one of The Three Little Pigs:
"Little pig, little pig, let me come in."
"No, not by the hairs on my chinny chin chin."
"Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in."
In this month
- August 1942 - Death of Janusz Korczak, (memorial pictured), a Polish-Jewish children's author, pediatrician, and pedagogue
- August 2007 – Lloyd Alexander, known for his Chronicles of Prydain, publishes his last novel
- August 2007 – The Dandy, the third-longest running comic in the world, becomes The Dandy Xtreme
- 11 August 1897 – Birth of Enid Blyton, the fifth-most translated author worldwide
- 28 August 1995 – Death of Michael Ende, German children's writer best known for The Neverending Story
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WikiProjects
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- Literature • Books • Novels
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- Related projects
- Artemis Fowl • Discworld • Fablehaven • Harry Potter • Inheritance Cycle • Lemony Snicket • Redwall • Oz
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Selected biography
Did you know...
- ... that Policeman Bluejay, a children's novel by L. Frank Baum (pictured) of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz fame, was first published in 1907 under the pen name "Laura Bancroft"?
- ... that the 1986 children's picture book Juma and the Magic Jinn was awarded Honor Book in the illustrations category of the 1986 Golden Kite Awards?
- ... that children's book illustrator Walter Crane was the first President of the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society, founded in 1887 to showcase the decorative arts?
Featured content
Featured articles
Chinua Achebe- Argosy (magazine)
- Bronwyn Bancroft
- Enid Blyton
- The Coral Island
- Edmund Evans
- Ian Fleming
- The Fox and the Hound (novel)
- Anne Frank
- The Guardian of Education
- The Hardy Boys
- The Hunger Games (novel)
- Lad, A Dog
- Ursula K. Le Guin
- Julianne Moore
- Baron Munchausen
- The Phantom Tollbooth
- Proserpine (play)
- Talbot Baines Reed
- Sally Ride
- J. K. Rowling
- Scoops (magazine)
- Mary Martha Sherwood
- The Story of Miss Moppet
- Tom Swift
- To Kill a Mockingbird
- J. R. R. Tolkien
- When Megan Went Away
- A Wizard of Earthsea
- Mary Wollstonecraft
Featured lists
Categories
Topics
Children's literature: Book talk • Children's literature criticism • Children's literature periodicals • International Children's Digital Library • Native Americans in children's literature
Young adult literature: Gay teen fiction • Lesbian teen fiction • List of young adult authors • Young Adult Library Services Association
Associations and awards: Children's Book Council of Australia • CBCA book awards • Governor General's Literary Award for Children's Literature and Illustration • IBBY Canada • American Library Association • Association for Library Service to Children • Newbery Medal • Caldecott Medal • Golden Kite Award • Ezra Jack Keats Book Award • SCBWI • Sibert Medal • Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal • Batchelder Award • Coretta Scott King Award • Belpre Medal • Carnegie Medal • Kate Greenaway Medal • Nestlé Smarties Book Prize • Guardian Award • Hans Christian Andersen Award • Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award • Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
Lists: List of children's classic books • List of children's literature authors • List of children's non-fiction writers • List of fairy tales • List of illustrators • List of publishers of children's books
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