The advent of children’s literature is new, relatively speaking. For most of history, literature has focused on and marketed exclusively toward adults. However, the past few centuries have seen dramatic changes in perceptions of childhood – indeed the very invention of the concept itself. Tunnell (2013) goes so far as to say that “children had not been invented” before the 17 th century. Literature reflects this understanding; there is little written for children in the years prior to the puritan era. Reynolds (2016) describes how literature for children developed from the early 17 th century puritans through to modern conceptions of childhood in the 19 th century. Children’s literature evolved significantly from moralist educational “intervention” (Frijhoff, 2012) into idealized ruminations on the purity and godliness of children or the “perpetual childhood” (Reynolds, 2016) archetype of the 19 th century. Concepts of childhood have significantly evolved ...
An uncommon librarian in the Learning Commons; reflections and queries on inquiry, teaching and literacy.