Ever since children have learned to read, there has been childrens literature. Childrens Literature charts the makings of the Western literary imagination from Aesops fables to Mother Goose, from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to Peter Pan, from Where the Wild Things Are to Harry Potter.
The only single-volume work to capture the rich and diverse history of childrens literature in its full panorama, this extraordinary book reveals why J. R. R. Tolkien, Dr. Seuss, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Beatrix Potter, and many others, despite their divergent styles and subject matter, have all resonated with generations of readers. Childrens Literature is an exhilarating quest across centuries, continents, and genres to discover how, and why, we first fall in love with the written word.
Lerer has accomplished something magical. Unlike the many handbooks to childrens literature that synopsize, evaluate, or otherwise guide adults in the selection of materials for children, this work presents a true critical history of the genre. . . . Scholarly, erudite, and all but exhaustive, it is also entertaining and accessible. Lerer takes his subject seriously without making it dull.Library Journal (starred review)
Lerers history reminds us of the wealth of literature written during the past 2,600 years. . . . With his vast and multidimensional knowledge of literature, he underscores the vital role it plays in forming a childs imagination. We are made, he suggests, by the books we read.San Francisco Chronicle
There are dazzling chapters on John Locke and Empire, and nonsense, and Darwin, but Lerers most interesting chapter focuses on girls fiction. . . . A brilliant series of readings.Diane Purkiss, Times Literary Supplement
