Running Head: Children's Literature Task 1 1

Children;s Literature Task 1
Arthur Carroll
Western Governor's University

Children's Literature Task 1 2
Children's Literature Task 1 It is well known that the world is filled to the brim with a rich history in athletics, education, science, politics, and the arts. What is not common knowledge is the history and richness of children's literature and how it eventually became what it is today. Just like most things, what we now know as children's literature is nothing like what it was originally, it has transformed into something else entirely. Nonetheless, it has as colorful a history as it does some of it's own books. Before children's literature was ever even written down it was given to children in a less tangible way; orally. Prior to publishers like Scholastic and Golden Books existence, the technology to write books was long and tedious, especially if the author was trying to make many copies. So instead, children's literature was told out loud where many could hear it at once and the time factor for preparation was at a minimum. Once authors had better technology to help simplify the process of physical writing, oral literature transformed into written literature. It wasn't always computers or even typewriters though, written used to literally mean written. Like the transformation from mouth to pen, pen evolved to computer which is how oral literature was transitioned away from. Oral to written is not the only change that has taken place in children's literature, the entire purpose has shifted multiple times throughout American history. The most notable three periods are Colonial America, the 1960s, and contemporary America.
Children's Literature Task 1