History and Development

Avery, Gillian. Behold the Child: American Children and their Books, 1621-1922. Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1994.

An account of children's literature in America from colonial times to the early 20th century. Compares American and English children's books, discusses the influence of old world literature, and traces the emergence of uniquely American themes and styles in children's books.

Bader, Barbara. American Picturebooks from Noah's Ark to the Beast Within. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1976.

Examples of picture book illustrations are used to present a comprehensive look at 20th children's literature. Artists, editors, authors, printers, printing techniques, and the psychology of picture books are among the topics discussed. The volume also contains notes and an index.

Carpenter, Humphrey and Mari Prichard. The Oxford Companion To Children's Literature. New York: Oxford University Press, 1984.

This alphabetically arranged compendium of children's literature is dedicated to the memory of Peter Opie. The work includes noteworthy characters, titles, authors, and illustrators through 1983.

Darton, F.J. Harvey. Children's Books in England: Five Centuries of Social Life. 3rd ed. London: British Library, 1999.

A classical history book of children's literature in England from early times to the late Victorian and Edwardian periods, chronicling books, authors, publishers, and social and commercial history.

Demers, Patricia. From Instruction to Delight: an Anthology of Children's Literature to 1850. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.

An anthology of poetry and prose read by and to children from the Middle Ages to the mid-nineteenth century, including familiar as well as little-known examples from each period.

Educational Research Library (National Institute of Education). Early American Textbooks: A Catalog of Titles Held by the Educational Research Library. Washington: U.S. Dept. of Education, 1985.

This historical catalog of early children's textbooks covers civics, foreign language, music education, and penmanship, among other subject areas. The textbooks are indexed by author and topic.

Lees, Stella and Pam Macintyre. The Oxford Companion to Australian Children's Literature. Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1993.

In encyclopedia format, this work cover the predominant topics, titles, characters, authors, and illustrators of the last 150 years of Australian children's literature. A bibliography and a list of award winning titles are also included.

Lilly Library. Children's Books Published by William Darton and His Sons. Bloomington, Indiana: Lilly Library, Indiana University, 1992.

This is a catalog of the Lilly Library's 1992 exhibition of books published by William Darton and his sons between 1787 and the late 1830's. Many of the books reflect the causes of abolition, prison reform, and universal literacy, which Darton and his sons championed.

Quayle, Eric. Early Children's Books: A Collector's Guide. Totowa, New Jersey: Barnes & Noble Books, 1983.

Quayle has traced the development of children's literature from the earliest days to the turn of the 20th century. He includes a number of illustrations, a selected bibliography, and a title/author index.

Whalley, Joyce Irene. Cobwebs to Catch Flies: Illustrated Books for the Nursery and Schoolroom 1700-1900. London: Elek Books Limited, 1974.

Whalley's "picture book about pictures" traces two centuries of the development of children's illustrations. Various chapters are devoted to alphabet books, religious instruction, grammar, street cries and occupations, among others. In addition to an index, Whalley has included a list of the plates includes, a list of publishers, and a list of internationally known children's literature collections.