Behold the Child: American Children and Their Books, 1621-1922

by Gillian Avery

In Behold the Child, Gillian Avery offers an engaging account of children's literature in America from colonial times to the early twentieth century. Exploring a variety of social, cultural, and practical forces, Avery shows how the literature of the old world influenced that of the new and describes the emergence of uniquely American styles and themes in children's books. Her topics include the early days of colonial publishing, the defenders and detractors of Mother Goose, the influence of Sunday schools and tract societies, the "chaste eroticism" of romantic fiction for young readers, and changing notions of American heroes and heroines.

Genres: Reference, Literary Criticism

239 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1994

About the author

Gillian Elise Avery was a British children's novelist, and a historian of childhood education and children's literature. She won the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize in 1972 for A Likely Lad. It was adapted for television in 1990.

Reviews

[Amy S.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It highlights the timeline of children's literature and periodicals in America. I read this as background information for my Masters Thesis and thought it served as a solid foundation of Children's lit.

[Cara Byrne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really informative and helpful read in studying and pinpointing the origins of children's literature in America. Avery does a great job noting the differences between English and American perceptions of children and what each nation believed their literature should encourage in children (whether whimsy, industriousness, religious values, imagination, etc.). It is clear that Avery tirelessly researched in order to write this book, as well as discovered some great finds in archives and libraries. I have lots of notes for potential springing off points and a much longer children's literature to-read list thanks to this book.

[Suzan Alteri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good academic tome on the early history of American children's literature. Not for the faint of heart, and they are better books if you are interested in this topic and not doing research. Still, an excellent read.