Here at Bookstr, we’re all about making you wiser, and sometimes richer. Here’s why free virtual libraries are our newest obsession, and now, they’re going to be your kid’s newest obsession too.
The Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature at the University of Florida contains more than 130,000 books and periodicals published in the United States and Great Britain from the mid-1600s to the present day. The library also has manuscript collections, original artwork, and assorted ephemera such as board games, puzzles, and toys. They have put 6,000 children’s books online, for free.
Image Via UFDC.com
Children’s literature didn’t make much headway until the 1700s, before which time it was pretty scarce. During the Middle Ages, few children’s books were published at all. The earliest children’s books came about in the early 18th century, before which they were mostly instructive moral tales, usually of a pious nature and written in Latin. The first book written purely for children’s pleasure reading was John Newbery’s A Little Pretty Pocket-Book, which was published in 1744.
Image Via Robert Edward Auctions
The Victorian era followed, which became the most innovative and diverse period for children’s literature thus far. This era gave us children’s classics such as Lewis Carrol’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter and of course Edward Lear’s A Book of Nonsense. As paper and printing became more economical, the children’s book industry took off and has been booming since the 1800s.
Image Via Commons.Wikimedia.org
Image Via EdwardLear.org
The popularity of children’s literature owes a lot to the advent of illustration. Illustration became an indispensable feature of children’s books, so much so that an entirely new genre was created: the picture book, a form that continues to dominate twentieth century juvenile publishing today.
Image Via Wikipedia
If reading bed time stories is a ritual in your home, then you may benefit from the thousands of options this online library offers to keep the little ones occupied on the go, or just before bed.
Featured Image Via walops.com