Editing Children's literature (section)

==National traditions==
===United Kingdom===
[[File:Alice par John Tenniel 30.png|thumb|left|upright|Illustration from ''[[Alice's Adventures in Wonderland]]'', 1865]]Literature for children had developed as a separate category of literature especially in the [[Victorian era]], with some works becoming internationally known, such as [[Lewis Carroll]]'s ''[[Alice's Adventures in Wonderland]]'' (1865) and its sequel ''[[Through the Looking-Glass]]''. Another classic of the period is [[Anna Sewell]]'s animal novel ''[[Black Beauty]]'' (1877). At the end of the Victorian era and leading into the Edwardian era, author and illustrator [[Beatrix Potter]] published ''[[The Tale of Peter Rabbit]]'' in 1902. Potter went on to produce 23 children's books and become very wealthy. A pioneer of character merchandising, in 1903 she patented a [[Peter Rabbit]] doll, making Peter the first [[Brand licensing|licensed character]].<ref>{{cite news |title=How Beatrix Potter Invented Character Merchandising |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/how-beatrix-potter-invented-character-merchandising-180961979/ |access-date=6 October 2022 |work=Smithsonian |archive-date=6 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006132101/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/how-beatrix-potter-invented-character-merchandising-180961979/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Peter Rabbit blazed a trail still well trod |url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/books/article/peter-rabbit-blazed-a-trail-still-well-trod-c9zdfx2c6nk |access-date=6 October 2022 |work=[[The Times]] |archive-date=6 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006143043/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/peter-rabbit-blazed-a-trail-still-well-trod-c9zdfx2c6nk |url-status=live }}</ref> Michael O. Tunnell and James S. Jacobs, professors of children's literature at Brigham Young University, write, "Potter was the first to use pictures as well as words to tell the story, incorporating coloured illustration with text, page for page."<ref name="Tunnell 80–86">{{Cite journal |last1=Tunnell |first1=Michael O. |last2=Jacobs |first2=James S. |date=2013-10-01 |title=The Origins and History of American Children's Literature |journal=The Reading Teacher |language=en |volume=67 |issue=2 |pages=80–86 |doi=10.1002/TRTR.1201 |issn=1936-2714}}</ref>

[[Rudyard Kipling]] published ''[[The Jungle Book]]'' in 1894. A major theme in the book is abandonment followed by fostering, as in the life of [[Mowgli]], echoing Kipling's own childhood. In the latter years of the 19th century, precursors of the modern picture book were illustrated books of poems and short stories produced by English illustrators [[Randolph Caldecott]], [[Walter Crane]], and [[Kate Greenaway]]. These had a larger proportion of pictures to words than earlier books, and many of their pictures were in colour. Some British artists made their living illustrating novels and children's books, among them [[Arthur Rackham]], [[Cicely Mary Barker]], [[W. Heath Robinson]], [[Henry Justice Ford|Henry J. Ford]], [[John Leech (caricaturist)|John Leech]], and [[George Cruikshank]]. In the 1890s, some of the best known fairy tales from England were compiled in [[Joseph Jacobs]]' ''English Fairy Tales'', including ''[[Jack and the Beanstalk]]'', ''[[Goldilocks and the Three Bears]]'', ''[[The Three Little Pigs]]'', ''[[Jack the Giant Killer]]'' and ''[[Tom Thumb]]''.<ref>{{cite book | title = The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales | first = Maria | last = Tatar | publisher = W. W. Norton & Company | year = 2002 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ehzvhjL5_W8C&pg=PA206 | pages = 206–211 | isbn=978-0-393-05163-6}}</ref>
[[File:Peter Pan.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Peter Pan statue]] in [[Kensington Gardens]], London]]
The [[Kailyard School]] of Scottish writers, notably [[J. M. Barrie]], creator of ''[[Peter Pan]]'' (1904), presented an idealised version of society and brought fantasy and folklore back into fashion. In 1908, [[Kenneth Grahame]] wrote the children's classic ''[[The Wind in the Willows]]'' and the [[Scouts]] founder [[Robert Baden-Powell]]'s first book, ''[[Scouting for Boys]]'', was published. Inspiration for [[Frances Hodgson Burnett]]'s novel ''[[The Secret Garden]]'' (1910) was the [[Great Maytham Hall]] Garden in Kent. While fighting in the trenches for the British Army in World War I, [[Hugh Lofting]] created the character of [[Doctor Dolittle]], who appears in a series of [[Doctor Dolittle#The books|twelve books]].

The Golden Age of Children's Literature ended with [[World War I]]. The period before [[World War II]] was much slower in children's publishing. The main exceptions in England were the publications of ''[[Winnie-the-Pooh]]'' by [[A. A. Milne]] in 1926, ''[[Toytown|Tales of Toytown]]'' by [[Sydney George Hulme Beaman|S.G. Hulme Beaman]] in 1928,<ref>{{cite book|title=Children's Fiction 1900-1950|author=John Cooper, Jonathan Cooper|publisher=Ashgate Publishing Limited|date=18 June 1998}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Treasure Seekers and Borrowers: Children's books in Britain, 1900-1960|author=Marcus Crouch|publisher=The Library Association|date=December 1962}}</ref> the first ''[[Mary Poppins (book series)|Mary Poppins]]'' book by [[P. L. Travers]] in 1934, ''[[The Hobbit]]'' by [[J. R. R. Tolkien]] in 1937, and the Arthurian ''[[The Sword in the Stone (novel)|The Sword in the Stone]]'' by [[T. H. White]] in 1938.<ref>Hunt, Peter (editor) (1996). ''International Companion Encyclopedia Of Children's Literature''. Taylor & Francis. {{ISBN|978-0-203-16812-7}}, pp. 682–683.</ref> Children's mass [[paperback]] books were first released in England in 1940 under the [[Puffin Books]] imprint, and their lower prices helped make book buying possible for children during World War II.<ref>Hunt, Peter (editor) (1996). ''International Companion Encyclopedia Of Children's Literature'', pp. 475–476.</ref> [[Enid Blyton]]'s books have been among the world's bestsellers since the 1930s, selling more than 600 million copies. Blyton's books are still enormously popular and have been translated into almost 90 languages. She wrote on a wide range of topics including education, natural history, fantasy, mystery, and biblical narratives and is best remembered today for her [[Noddy (character)|Noddy]], ''[[The Famous Five (novel series)|The Famous Five]]'', [[The Secret Seven]], and ''[[The Adventure Series]]''.<ref>Ray, Sheila G. (1982), ''The Blyton Phenomenon''. Andre Deutsch, {{ISBN|978-0-233-97441-5}}</ref> The first of these children's stories, ''[[Five on a Treasure Island]]'', was published in 1942.

[[File:Statue of C.S. Lewis, Belfast.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Statue of C. S. Lewis in front of the wardrobe from his Narnia book ''[[The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe]]'']]
In the 1950s, the book market in Europe began to recover from the effects of the two world wars. An informal literary discussion group associated with the English faculty at the University of Oxford, were the "Inklings", with the major fantasy novelists [[C. S. Lewis]] and [[J. R. R. Tolkien]] as its main members. C. S. Lewis published the first installment of ''[[The Chronicles of Narnia]]'' series in 1950, while Tolkien is best known, in addition to ''The Hobbit'', as the author of  ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' (1954). Another writer of fantasy stories is [[Alan Garner]] author of ''[[Elidor]]'' (1965), and ''[[The Owl Service]]'' (1967). The latter is an adaptation of the myth of [[Blodeuwedd]] from the ''[[Mabinogion]]'', set in modern [[Wales]] – it won Garner the annual [[Carnegie Medal (literary award)|Carnegie Medal]] from the [[CILIP|Library Association]], recognising the year's best children's book by a British author.<ref name=medal1967>[http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/livingarchive/title.php?id=91 (Carnegie Winner 1967)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130106194213/http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/livingarchive/title.php?id=91 |date=2013-01-06 }}. Living Archive: Celebrating the Carnegie and Greenaway Winners. [[CILIP]]. Retrieved 11 July 2012.</ref>

[[Mary Norton (author)|Mary Norton]] wrote ''[[The Borrowers]]'' (1952), featuring tiny people who borrow from humans. [[Dodie Smith]]'s ''[[The Hundred and One Dalmatians]]'' was published in 1956. [[Philippa Pearce]]'s ''[[Tom's Midnight Garden]]'' (1958) has Tom opening the garden door at night and entering into a different age. [[William Golding]]'s 1954 novel ''[[Lord of the Flies]]'' focuses on a group of British boys stranded on an [[desert island|uninhabited island]] and their disastrous attempt to govern themselves.

[[File:MCM 2013 - Willy Wonka & Mad Hatter (8978291669).jpg|thumb|upright|Two people dressed up in costumes inspired by [[Willy Wonka]] (from Roald Dahl's ''[[Charlie and the Chocolate Factory]]''), and the [[Hatter (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)|Hatter]] (from Lewis Carroll's ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'') in London]]
[[Roald Dahl]] wrote children's [[fantasy novels]] which were often inspired from experiences from his childhood, with often unexpected endings, and unsentimental, dark humour.<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-man-who-liked-to-make-up-stories-2158052.html Once upon a time, there was a man who liked to make up stories ...] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120130161349/http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-man-who-liked-to-make-up-stories-2158052.html |date=2012-01-30 }} ''[[The Independent]]'' (Sunday, 12 December 2010)</ref> Dahl was inspired to write ''[[Charlie and the Chocolate Factory]]'' (1964), featuring the eccentric chocolatier [[Willy Wonka]], having grown up near two chocolate makers in England who often tried to steal trade secrets by sending spies into the other's factory.<ref>{{cite news |title=Chocolate Wars, The inspiration for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. |url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2005/07/real-life-espionage-that-inspired-dahl-s-classic.html |access-date=27 July 2021 |magazine=Slate |quote=During Dahl's childhood, the two largest British candy firms, [[Cadbury]] and [[Rowntree's|Rowntree]], sent so many moles to work in competitors' factories that their spying became legendary |archive-date=27 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210727094207/https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2005/07/real-life-espionage-that-inspired-dahl-s-classic.html |url-status=live }}</ref> His other works include ''[[James and the Giant Peach]]'' (1961), ''[[Fantastic Mr. Fox]]'' (1970), ''[[The BFG]]'' (1982), ''[[The Witches (novel)|The Witches]]'' (1983), and ''[[Matilda (novel)|Matilda]]'' (1988). Starting in 1958, [[Michael Bond]] published more than twenty humorous stories about [[Paddington Bear]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sunderlandecho.com/daily/Happy-birthday-little-bear.4224656.jp |title=Happy birthday little bear – ''Sunderland Echo,'' 26 June 2008 |access-date=5 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090127024024/http://www.sunderlandecho.com/daily/Happy-birthday-little-bear.4224656.jp |archive-date=27 January 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[Boarding schools in fiction|Boarding schools in literature]] are centred on older pre-adolescent and adolescent school life, and are most commonly set in English [[boarding school]]s. Popular [[school story|school stories]] from this period include [[Ronald Searle]]'s comic ''[[St Trinian's School|St Trinian's]]'' (1949–1953) and his illustrations for [[Geoffrey Willans]]'s ''[[Nigel Molesworth|Molesworth]]'' series, [[Jill Murphy]]'s ''[[The Worst Witch]]'', and the ''[[Jennings (novels)|Jennings]]'' series by [[Anthony Buckeridge]].

[[Ruth Manning-Sanders]]'s first collection, ''[[A Book of Giants]]'', retells a number of [[Giant (mythology)|giant stories]] from around the world. [[Susan Cooper]]'s ''[[The Dark Is Rising]]'' is a five-volume fantasy saga set in England and Wales. [[Raymond Briggs]]' children's picture book ''[[The Snowman (picture book)|The Snowman]]'' (1978) has been adapted as an animation, shown every Christmas on British television. The [[Wilbert Awdry|Reverend. W. Awdry]] and son [[Christopher Awdry|Christopher]]'s ''[[The Railway Series]]'' features [[Thomas the Tank Engine]]. [[Margery Sharp]]'s series ''[[The Rescuers (book)|The Rescuers]]'' is based on a heroic mouse organisation. The third [[Children's Laureate]] [[Michael Morpurgo]] published ''[[War Horse (novel)|War Horse]]'' in 1982. [[Dick King-Smith]]'s novels include ''[[The Sheep-Pig]]'' (1984). [[Diana Wynne Jones]] wrote the young adult fantasy novel ''[[Howl's Moving Castle (novel)|Howl's Moving Castle]]'' in 1986. [[Anne Fine]]'s ''[[Madame Doubtfire]]'' (1987) is based around a family with divorced parents. [[Anthony Horowitz]]'s [[Alex Rider|''Alex Rider'' series]] begins with ''[[Stormbreaker (novel)|Stormbreaker]]'' (2000).

[[File:J. K. Rowling 04-2010.jpg|thumb|left|upright|alt=photograph|[[J. K. Rowling]] reads from her novel ''[[Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone]]'']]
[[Philip Pullman]]'s ''[[His Dark Materials]]'' is an epic trilogy of fantasy novels consisting of ''[[Northern Lights (Pullman novel)|Northern Lights]]'' (1995, published as ''The Golden Compass'' in North America), ''[[The Subtle Knife]]'' (1997), and ''[[The Amber Spyglass]]'' (2000). It follows the coming of age of two children, Lyra Belacqua and Will Parry, as they wander through a series of parallel universes. The three novels have won a number of awards, most notably the 2001 Whitbread Book of the Year prize, won by ''The Amber Spyglass''. ''Northern Lights'' won the Carnegie Medal for children's fiction in 1995.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.philip-pullman.com/index.php |title=Questions Frequently Asked |website=Philip Pullman |access-date=2019-05-14 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

[[Neil Gaiman]] wrote the dark fantasy novella ''[[Coraline]]'' (2002). His 2008 fantasy, ''[[The Graveyard Book]]'', traces the story of a boy who is raised by the supernatural occupants of a graveyard. In 2001, [[Terry Pratchett]] received the Carnegie Medal (his first major award) for ''[[The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/print/0,,4460677-103690,.html|title= 'Pied Piper' brings belated literary reward | work=The Guardian | location=London | first=John | last=Ezard | date=12 July 2002 | access-date=8 November 2019 }}</ref> [[Cressida Cowell]]'s ''[[How to Train Your Dragon (novel series)|How to Train Your Dragon]]'' series were published between 2003 and 2015.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/oct/22/cressida-cowell-how-to-train-your-dragon-philosophy-now-award-fight-against-stupidity "Children's author Cressida Cowell scoops philosophers' award for fight against stupidity"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143633/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/oct/22/cressida-cowell-how-to-train-your-dragon-philosophy-now-award-fight-against-stupidity |date=2018-06-12 }}. ''The Guardian''. Retrieved 15 June 2017</ref>

[[J. K. Rowling]]'s ''[[Harry Potter]]'' fantasy sequence of seven novels chronicles the adventures of the adolescent [[Magician (fantasy)|wizard]] [[Harry Potter (character)|Harry Potter]]. The series began with ''[[Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone]]'' in 1997 and ended with the seventh and final book ''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows]]'' in 2007; becoming the [[Best selling books|best selling book-series in history]]. The series has been translated into 67 languages,<ref name="Translations for Harry Potter">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7649962.stm |title=Rowling 'makes £5 every second' |date=3 October 2008 |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=17 October 2008 |archive-date=11 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090311003331/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7649962.stm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2008/jun/18/harrypotter.artsandentertainment |title=Harry Potter breaks 400m in sales |date=18 June 2008 |publisher=Guardian News and Media Limited |access-date=17 October 2008 |location=London |first=Guy |last=Dammann |archive-date=31 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131031062921/http://www.theguardian.com/business/2008/jun/18/harrypotter.artsandentertainment |url-status=live }}</ref> so placing Rowling among the most translated authors in history.<ref>{{cite web |title=Guinness World Records: L. Ron Hubbard Is the Most Translated Author |author=KMaul |url=http://www.kirkusreviews.com/kirkusreviews/tbs_landing.jsp |publisher=The Book Standard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080308213411/http://www.kirkusreviews.com/kirkusreviews/tbs_landing.jsp |archive-date=8 March 2008 |year=2005 |access-date=19 July 2007}}</ref>

====Adventure fiction====

[[File:Treasure-island01.png|thumb|upright|Illustration from Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 pirate adventure ''[[Treasure Island]]'']]
While [[Daniel Defoe]] wrote ''[[Robinson Crusoe]]'' in 1719 (spawning so many imitations it defined a genre, [[Robinsonade]]), adventure stories written specifically for children began in the nineteenth century. Early examples from British authors include [[Frederick Marryat]]'s ''[[The Children of the New Forest]]'' (1847) and [[Harriet Martineau]]'s ''The Peasant and the Prince'' (1856).<ref>[[Peter Hunt (literary critic)|Hunt, Peter]]. (Editor). ''Children's literature: an illustrated history''. Oxford University Press, 1995. {{ISBN|0-19-212320-3}} (pp. 98–100)</ref>

The Victorian era saw the development of the genre, with [[William Henry Giles Kingston|W. H. G. Kingston]], [[R. M. Ballantyne]] and [[G. A. Henty]] specializing in the production of adventure fiction for boys.<ref name="oxford">Butts, Dennis,"Adventure Books" in [[Jack Zipes|Zipes, Jack]], ''The Oxford Encyclopedia of Children's Literature''. Volume One. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2006. {{ISBN|978-0-19-514656-1}} (pp.&nbsp;12–16).</ref> This inspired writers who normally catered to adult audiences to write for children, a notable example being [[Robert Louis Stevenson]]'s classic [[Piracy|pirate]] story ''[[Treasure Island]]'' (1883).<ref name="oxford" />

In the years after the First World War, writers such as [[Arthur Ransome]] developed the adventure genre by setting the adventure in Britain rather than distant countries. In the 1930s he began publishing his [[Swallows and Amazons series]] of children's books about the school-holiday adventures of children, mostly in the English [[Lake District]] and the [[Norfolk Broads]]. Many of them involve sailing; fishing and camping are other common subjects.<ref>Hugh Brogan, ''The Life of Arthur Ransome''. Jonathan Cape, 1984</ref> [[Biggles]] was a popular series of [[adventure book]]s for young boys, about James Bigglesworth, a fictional pilot and [[adventurer]], by [[W. E. Johns]]. Between 1941 and 1961 there were 60 issues with stories about Biggles,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.boysown.info/|title=Boys Own Paper featuring the work of Captain W E Johns|last=rogerharris@biggles.info|website=www.boysown.info|access-date=2017-06-07|archive-date=2017-06-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170609164007/http://boysown.info/|url-status=live}}</ref> and in the 1960s occasional contributors included the BBC astronomer [[Patrick Moore]]. Between 1940 and 1947, W. E. Johns contributed sixty stories featuring the female pilot [[Worrals]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.girlsown.info/ |title=Girls Own Paper featuring the work of Captain W E Johns |last=rogerharris@biggles.info |website=www.girlsown.info |access-date=2017-06-07 |archive-date=2017-05-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170520160249/http://girlsown.info/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Evoking epic themes, [[Richard Adams]]'s 1972 survival and adventure novel ''[[Watership Down]]'' follows a small group of rabbits who escape the destruction of their warren and seek to establish a new home.

[[Geoffrey Trease]] and [[Rosemary Sutcliff]] brought a new sophistication to the historical adventure novel.<ref name="oxford" /><ref>Hunt, 1995, (p. 208–209)</ref> [[Philip Pullman]] in the [[Sally Lockhart]] novels and [[Julia Golding]] in the [[Cat Royal]] series have continued the tradition of the historical adventure.<ref name="oxford" />

====Magazines and comics====
{{see also|Children's comics}}
[[File:Minnie the minx.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Statue of [[Minnie the Minx]], a character from ''[[The Beano]]''. Launched in 1938, the comic is known for its anarchic humour, with ''[[Dennis the Menace and Gnasher|Dennis the Menace]]'' appearing on the cover.]]
An important aspect of British children's literature has been [[comic books]] and [[List of early-20th-century British children's magazines and annuals|magazines]]. Amongst the most popular and longest running comics have been ''[[The Beano]]'' and ''[[The Dandy]]'', both first published in the 1930s.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-19284222 |title=BBC News, 16 August 2012 |work=BBC News |date=16 August 2012 |access-date=20 July 2018 |archive-date=9 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180909223416/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-19284222 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/pixar/11766202/Was-Pixars-Inside-Out-inspired-by-The-Beano.html |title=''The Telegraph'', 27 July 2015 |date=27 July 2015 |access-date=5 April 2018 |archive-date=12 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180412090211/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/pixar/11766202/Was-Pixars-Inside-Out-inspired-by-The-Beano.html |url-status=live }}</ref> British comics in the 20th century evolved from illustrated [[penny dreadful]]s of the Victorian era (featuring [[Sweeney Todd]], [[Dick Turpin]] and ''[[Varney the Vampire]]'').<ref>{{cite journal | url= https://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst?docId=5000228860 | title= Horror Comics: The Nasties of the 1950s | author= John Sringhall | journal= [[History Today]] | issue= 7 | volume= 44 | date= July 1994 | access-date= 2010-10-23 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120504231008/http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst?docId=5000228860 | archive-date= 4 May 2012 | url-status= live | df= dmy-all }}</ref> First published in the 1830s, according to ''The Guardian'', penny dreadfuls were "Britain's first taste of mass-produced popular culture for the young."<ref>{{cite news |title=Penny dreadfuls: the Victorian equivalent of video games |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/apr/30/penny-dreadfuls-victorian-equivalent-video-games-kate-summerscale-wicked-boy |access-date=3 September 2019 |work=The Guardian |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181122215447/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/apr/30/penny-dreadfuls-victorian-equivalent-video-games-kate-summerscale-wicked-boy |archive-date=22 November 2018 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref> [[Robin Hood]] featured in a series of penny dreadfuls in 1838 which sparked the beginning of the mass circulation of Robin stories.<ref>{{cite book |title=Swordsmen of the Screen: From Douglas Fairbanks to Michael York |date=2014 |publisher=Routledge |page=191}}</ref>

[[Dennis the Menace and Gnasher|Dennis the Menace]] debuted in ''The Beano'' in 1951, while the popular stop-motion characters, [[Wallace and Gromit]], guest-starred in the comic every four weeks from 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://beano.com/beano-max/issue-79|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130628023756/http://beano.com/beano-max/issue-79|url-status=dead|title=Issue 79 – The Beano|date=28 June 2013|archive-date=28 June 2013}}</ref> Important early magazines or [[story papers]] for older children were the ''[[Boy's Own Paper]]'', published from 1879 to 1967<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.philsp.com/data/data071.html#BOYSOWNMAGAZINEUK |title=Galactic Central |access-date=2017-08-06 |archive-date=2017-06-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170614221614/http://www.philsp.com/data/data071.html#BOYSOWNMAGAZINEUK |url-status=live }}</ref> and ''[[The Girl's Own Paper]]'' published from 1880 until 1956.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.philsp.com/data/data207.html |title=Galactic Central |access-date=2017-08-06 |archive-date=2017-08-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170806223302/http://www.philsp.com/data/data207.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In the 1890s, [[Halfpenny (British pre-decimal coin)|half-penny]] publications succeeded the penny dreadfuls in popularity among British children. These included ''[[Halfpenny Marvel|The Half-penny Marvel]]'' and ''[[Union Jack (magazine)|Union Jack]]''. From 1896, the cover of the half-penny comic ''[[Illustrated Chips]]'' featured the long-running comic strip of the [[tramp]]s Weary Willie and Tired Tim, with its readers including a young [[Charlie Chaplin]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Murray |first1=Chris |title=The British Superhero |date=2017 |publisher=University Press of Mississippi |page=22}}</ref>

Other story papers for older boys were ''[[The Hotspur]]'' (1933 to 1959) and ''[[The Rover (story paper)|The Rover]]'', which started in 1922 and was absorbed into ''Adventure'' in 1961 and ''[[The Wizard (DC Comics)|The Wizard]]'' in 1963, and eventually folded in 1973.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.britishcomics.20m.com/home.htm |title=British Comics |access-date=2017-08-06 |archive-date=2017-08-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170806221231/http://www.britishcomics.20m.com/home.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Many prominent authors contributed to the ''Boy's Own Paper'': [[cricket]]er [[W.G. Grace]] wrote for several issues, along with authors Sir [[Arthur Conan Doyle]] and [[R. M. Ballantyne]], as well as [[Robert Baden-Powell]], founder of the [[Scout Movement]]. Contributors to ''The Girl's Own Paper'' included [[Noel Streatfeild]], [[Rosa Nouchette Carey]], [[Sarah Doudney]] (1841–1926), [[Angela Brazil]], [[Richmal Crompton]], [[Fanny Fern]], and [[Baroness Orczy]].

The ''[[Eagle (British comics)|Eagle]]'' was a popular British comic for boys, launched in 1950 by [[Marcus Morris (publisher)|Marcus Morris]], an Anglican vicar from Lancashire. Revolutionary in its presentation and content, it was enormously successful; the first issue sold about 900,000 copies.<ref>Roger Sabin, ''Adult comics: an introduction'' (illustrated ed.), London: Taylor & Francis, 1993, p. 25.</ref><ref name="Science museum">{{Citation |title=Dan Dare and the Birth of Hi-Tech Britain |url=http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/onlinestuff/stories/dan_dare.aspx |publisher=sciencemuseum.org.uk |access-date=19 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100721103622/http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/onlinestuff/stories/dan_dare.aspx | archive-date=21 July 2010 }}</ref> Featured in colour on the front cover was its most recognisable story, "[[Dan Dare]], Pilot of the Future", created with meticulous attention to detail.<ref name="ODNB Hampson">{{Cite ODNB |last=Varah |first=Chad |author-link=Chad Varah |title=Hampson, Frank (1918–1985) |year=2004 |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/31192 |access-date=16 June 2010 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/31192}}</ref><ref name="Tribute">{{Citation |title=A Tribute to Frank Hampson 1918–1985 |url=http://www.tameside.gov.uk/blueplaque/frankhampson |publisher=tameside.gov.uk |date=12 September 2007 |access-date=24 June 2010 |archive-date=16 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100616221541/http://www.tameside.gov.uk/blueplaque/frankhampson |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Times Hampson">{{Citation |last=Crompton |first=Alastair |title=Where Eagle dared |url=http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itw/infomark/598/936/79880174w16/purl=rc1_TTDA_0_CS201560409&dyn=5!xrn_10_0_CS201560409&hst_1?sw_aep=mclib |work=[[The Times]]|date=25 October 1985 |page=12 |issue=62278}}</ref> It was first published from 1950 to 1969, and relaunched from 1982 to 1994.<ref>Mike Conroy, ''500 great comicbook action heroes'' (illustrated ed.), London: Collins & Brown, 2002, pp. 362–363.</ref> Its sister comic was ''[[Girl (UK comics)|Girl]]'', whose early issues from 1951 featured the strip "Kitty Hawke and her All-Girl Air Crew". ''[[Roy of the Rovers]]'', an immensely popular comic strip featuring Roy Race, a [[Striker (association football)|striker]] for the fictional football team Melchester Rovers, first appeared in the ''[[Tiger (Fleetway)|Tiger]]'' in 1954.<ref>{{citation |title=The 10 best comic book footballers |url=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/toptens/story/0,,1098267,00.html |newspaper=The Observer |date=30 November 2003 |access-date=25 March 2022 |archive-date=24 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224192833/http://observer.guardian.co.uk/toptens/story/0,,1098267,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref> First published by [[Martin Handford]] in 1987, more than 73 million ''[[Where's Wally?]]'' picture puzzle books had been sold around the world by 2007.<ref>{{cite news |title=Where's Wally founder tracks down a fortune |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2007/jan/22/6 |access-date=6 August 2021 |newspaper=The Guardian |archive-date=21 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210721172104/https://www.theguardian.com/business/2007/jan/22/6 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===United States===
[[File:The story of a word.jpg|thumb|''[[The Story of Mankind]]'' (1921) by [[Hendrik van Loon]], 1st [[Newbery Award]] winner]]
Children's literature has been a part of American culture since Europeans first settled in America. The earliest books were used as tools to instill self-control in children and preach a life of morality in Puritan society. Eighteenth-century American youth began to shift away from the social upbringing of its European counterpart, bringing about a change in children's literature. It was in this time that ''A Little Book for Little Children'' was written by T. W. in 1712. It includes what is thought to be the earliest nursery rhyme and one of the earliest examples of a textbook approaching education from the child's point of view, rather than the adult's.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Bingham |author2=Scholt |title=Fifteen Centuries of Children's Literature |date=1980 |publisher=Greenwood Press |isbn=978-0-313-22164-4 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/fifteencenturies004198_0/page/99 99,107] |url=https://archive.org/details/fifteencenturies004198_0/page/99 }}</ref>

Children's magazines in the United States began with the ''Young'' ''Misses' Magazine'' (1806) of Brooklyn, New York.<ref>{{Cite EB1911 |last=Tedder  |first=Henry Richard |wstitle=Periodicals |volume=21 |page=155}}</ref>

One of the most famous books of American children's literature is [[L. Frank Baum]]'s fantasy novel ''[[The Wonderful Wizard of Oz]]'', published in 1900. "By combining the English fondness for word play with the American appetite for outdoor adventure", Connie Epstein in ''International Companion Encyclopedia Of Children's Literature'' says Baum "developed an original style and form that stands alone".<ref name="int.comp.ency" />{{rp|479}} Baum wrote fourteen more Oz novels, and other writers continued the [[List of Oz books|Oz series]] into the twenty-first century.

Demand continued to grow in [[North America]] between World War I and World War II, helped by the growth of libraries in both Canada and the United States. Children's reading rooms in libraries, staffed by specially trained librarians, helped create demand for classic juvenile books. Reviews of children's releases began appearing regularly in ''[[Publishers Weekly]]'' and in ''[[The Bookman (New York)|The Bookman]]'' magazine began to publish regular reviews of children's releases. The first Children's Book Week was launched in 1919. In that same year, [[Louise Seaman Bechtel]] became the first person to head a juvenile book publishing department in the country. She was followed by [[May Massee]] in 1922, and [[Alice Dalgliesh]] in 1934.<ref name="int.comp.ency" />{{rp|479–480}} During this period, Black authors began writing and publishing books for African American children. Writers like Helen Adele Whiting (1885–1959) and [[Jane Dabney Shackelford]] (1895–1979) produced books designed to instill pride in Black history and culture.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Nocera |first1=Amato |title="May We Not Write Our Own Fairy Tales and Make Black Beautiful?" African American Teachers, Children's Literature, and the Construction of Race in the Curriculum, 1920–1945 |journal=History of Education Quarterly |date=February 2023 |volume=63 |issue=1 |pages=32–58 |doi=10.1017/heq.2022.41|s2cid=256417001 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

The [[American Library Association]] began awarding the [[Newbery Medal]], the first children's book award, in 1922.<ref name=newbery>{{cite web |title=Newbery Awards |url=http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newberymedal/newberyhonors/newberymedal |access-date=May 5, 2012 |date=1999-11-30 |archive-date=2011-10-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111024135429/http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newberymedal/newberyhonors/newberymedal.cfm |url-status=dead }}</ref> The [[Caldecott Medal]] for illustration followed in 1938.<ref>{{cite web |title=Caldecott Medal Awards |url=http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecotthonors/caldecottmedal#30s |access-date=May 5, 2012 |date=1999-11-30 |archive-date=2019-04-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190424050901/http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecotthonors/caldecottmedal#30s |url-status=dead }}</ref> The first book by [[Laura Ingalls Wilder]] about her life on the [[American frontier]], ''[[Little House in the Big Woods]]'' appeared in 1932.<ref name=Silvey />{{rp|471}} In 1937 [[Theodor Seuss Geisel|Dr. Seuss]] published his first book, entitled, ''[[And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street]]''. The [[young adult book]] market developed during this period, thanks to sports books by popular writer [[John R. Tunis]]', the novel ''[[Seventeenth Summer]]'' by [[Maureen Daly]], and the ''[[Sue Barton (juvenile series)|Sue Barton]]'' nurse book series by [[Helen Dore Boylston]].<ref name=cart>{{cite book |last=Cart |first=Michael |title=Young Adult Literature: From Romance to Realism |year=2010 |publisher=[[ALA Editions]] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=un4RJ8rOTTgC |isbn=978-0-8389-1045-0}}</ref>{{rp|11}}

The already vigorous growth in children's books became a boom in the 1950s, and children's publishing became big business.<ref name="int.comp.ency" />{{rp|481}} In 1952, American journalist [[E. B. White]] published ''[[Charlotte's Web]]'', which was described as "one of the very few books for young children that face, squarely, the subject of death".<ref name=Silvey />{{rp|467}} [[Maurice Sendak]] illustrated more than two dozen books during the decade, which established him as an innovator in book illustration.<ref name="int.comp.ency" />{{rp|481}} The [[Sputnik crisis]] that began in 1957, provided increased interest and government money for schools and libraries to buy science and math books and the non-fiction book market "seemed to materialize overnight".<ref name="int.comp.ency" />{{rp|482}}

The 1960s saw an age of new realism in children's books emerge. Given the atmosphere of social revolution in 1960s America, authors and illustrators began to break previously established taboos in children's literature. Controversial subjects dealing with alcoholism, death, divorce, and child abuse were now being published in stories for children. Maurice Sendak's ''[[Where the Wild Things Are]]'' in 1963 and [[Louise Fitzhugh]]'s ''[[Harriet the Spy]]'' in 1964 are often considered the first stories published in this new age of realism.<ref name="Tunnell 80–86" />

[[Esther Forbes]] in ''[[Johnny Tremain]]'' (1943) and [[Mildred D. Taylor]] in ''[[Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry]]'' (1976) continued the tradition of the historical adventure in an American setting.<ref name="oxford" /> The modern children's adventure novel sometimes deals with controversial issues like terrorism, as in [[Robert Cormier]]'s ''[[After the First Death]]'' in 1979, and warfare in the [[Third World]], as in [[Peter Dickinson]]'s ''AK'' in 1990.<ref name="oxford" />

In books for a younger age group, Bill Martin and John Archambault's ''[[Chicka Chicka Boom Boom]]'' (1989) presented a new spin on the [[alphabet book]]. [[Laura Numeroff]] published ''[[If You Give a Mouse a Cookie]]'' in 1985 and went on to create a series of similarly named books that is still popular for children and adults to read together.

[[Lloyd Alexander]]'s ''[[The Chronicles of Prydain]]'' (1964–1968) was set in a fictionalized version of medieval Britain.

===Continental Europe===
[[Johann David Wyss]] wrote the adventure novel ''[[The Swiss Family Robinson]]'' (1812). The period from 1890 until [[World War I]] is considered the Golden Age of Children's Literature in [[Scandinavia]]. [[Erik Werenskiold]], [[Theodor Kittelsen]], and [[Dikken Zwilgmeyer]] were especially popular, writing folk and fairy tales as well as realistic fiction. The 1859 translation into English by [[George Webbe Dasent]] helped increase the stories' influence.<ref>Peter Hunt, editor (1996). ''International Companion Encyclopedia Of Children's Literature''. Taylor & Francis, p. 705.</ref> One of the most influential and internationally most successful Scandinavian children's books from this period is [[Selma Lagerlöf]]s ''[[The Wonderful Adventures of Nils]]''. [[Astrid Lindgren]] (''[[Pippi Longstocking]]'') and [[Jostein Gaarder]] (''[[Sophie's World]]'') are two of the best-known Scandinavian writers internationally. In [[Finland]], some of the most significant children's book writers include [[Tove Jansson]] (''[[Moomins]]''), [[Oiva Paloheimo]] (''[[Tirlittan]]'') and [[Elina Karjalainen]] (''[[Uppo-Nalle]]'').

The interwar period saw a slow-down in output similar to Britain's, although "one of the first mysteries written specifically for children", ''[[Emil and the Detectives]]'' by [[Erich Kästner]], was published in Germany in 1930.<ref>Anita Silvey, (editor) (2002). ''The Essential Guide to Children's Books and their Creators''. New York: Houghton Mifflin, p. 315</ref>  German writers [[Michael Ende]] (''[[The Neverending Story]]'') and [[Cornelia Funke]] (''[[Inkheart]]'') achieved international success with their fantasy books.

The period during and following World War II became the Classic Age of the picture book in Switzerland, with works by [[Alois Carigiet]], [[Felix Hoffmann (illustrator)|Felix Hoffmann]], and [[Hans Fischer (painter)|Hans Fischer]].<ref>Peter Hunt, (editor) (1996). ''International Companion Encyclopedia Of Children's Literature''. Taylor & Francis. pp. 683–685, 399, 692, 697, and 750.</ref> Nineteen sixty-three was the first year of the [[Bologna Children's Book Fair]] in Italy, which was described as "the most important international event dedicated to the children's publishing".<ref name=bologna>{{cite web|title=Italy {{!}} Bologna Children's Book Fair|url=http://culture360.org/event/italy-bologna-childrens-book-fair/|publisher=Culture360|access-date=3 August 2012|archive-date=5 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105134246/http://culture360.org/event/italy-bologna-childrens-book-fair/|url-status=live}}</ref> For four days it brings together writers, illustrators, publishers, and book buyers from around the world.<ref name=bologna />

===Russia and the Soviet Union===
[[File:Stamp-russia2010-children-books-block.png|thumb|Postal stamp of Russia celebrating children's books.]]
[[Russian folktale]]s were collected by [[Aleksandr Afanasyev]] in his three-volume ''Narodnye russkie skazki'', and a selection of these were published in ''Русские детские сказки'' (Russian Children's Fairy Tales) in 1871. By the 1860s, [[literary realism]] and non-fiction dominated children's literature. More schools were started, using books by writers like [[Konstantin Ushinsky]] and [[Leo Tolstoy]], whose ''Russian Reader'' included an assortment of stories, fairy tales, and fables. Books written specifically for girls developed in the 1870s and 1880s. Publisher and journalist [[Evgenia Tur]] wrote about the daughters of well-to-do landowners, while [[Alexandra Nikitichna Annenskaya]]'s stories told of middle-class girls working to support themselves. [[Vera Zhelikhovsky]], [[Elizaveta Kondrashova]], and [[Nadezhda Lukhmanova]] also wrote for girls during this period.<ref name="int.comp.ency" />{{rp|767}}

Children's non-fiction gained great importance in Russia at the beginning of the century. A ten-volume children's encyclopedia was published between 1913 and 1914. [[Vasily Avenarius]] wrote fictionalized biographies of important people like [[Nikolai Gogol]] and [[Alexander Pushkin]] around the same time, and scientists wrote for books and magazines for children. Children's magazines flourished, and by the end of the century there were 61. [[Lidia Charskaya]] and {{ill|Klavdiya Lukashevich|ru|Лукашевич, Клавдия Владимировна}} continued the popularity of girls' fiction. [[Realism (literature)|Realism]] took a gloomy turn by frequently showing the maltreatment of children from lower classes. The most popular boys' material was [[Sherlock Holmes]], and similar stories from detective magazines.<ref name="int.comp.ency" />{{rp|768}}

The state took control of children's literature during the [[October Revolution]]. [[Maksim Gorky]] edited the first children's ''Northern Lights'' under [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] rule. People often label the 1920s as the Golden Age of Children's Literature in Russia.<ref name="int.comp.ency" />{{rp|769}} [[Samuil Marshak]] led that literary decade as the "founder of (Soviet) children's literature".<ref name=shray>{{cite book |editor-last=Shrayer |editor-first=Maxim |title=An Anthology of Jewish-Russian Literature: 1801–1953 |year=2007 |publisher=[[M. E. Sharpe]] |isbn=978-0-7656-0521-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DRrlV1Lc6qMC&pg=PA192}}</ref>{{rp|193}} As head of the children's section of the State Publishing House and editor of several children's magazines, Marshak exercised enormous influence by<ref name=shray />{{rp|192–193}} recruiting [[Boris Pasternak]] and [[Osip Mandelstam]] to write for children.

In 1932, professional writers in the Soviet Union formed the [[USSR Union of Writers]], which served as the writer's organization of the [[Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union|Communist Party]]. With a children's branch, the official oversight of the professional organization brought children's writers under the control of the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union|state]] and the police. [[Communism|Communist principles]] like [[Common ownership|collectivism]] and [[solidarity]] became important themes in children's literature. Authors wrote biographies about revolutionaries like [[Vladimir Lenin|Lenin]] and [[Pavlik Morozov]]. [[Alexander Belyayev]], who wrote in the 1920s and 1930s, became Russia's first [[science fiction]] writer.<ref name="int.comp.ency" />{{rp|770}} According to Ben Hellman in the ''International Companion Encyclopedia of Children's Literature'', "war was to occupy a prominent place in juvenile reading, partly compensating for the lack of adventure stories", during the Soviet Period.<ref name="int.comp.ency" />{{rp|771}} More political changes in Russia after [[World War II]] brought further change in children's literature. Today, the field is in a state of flux because some older authors are being rediscovered and others are being abandoned.<ref name="int.comp.ency" />{{rp|772}}

===China===
{{Main|Children's literature in China}}
The [[1911 Revolution]] and [[World War II]] brought political and social change that revolutionized children's literature in China. Western science, technology, and literature became fashionable. China's first modern publishing firm, [[Commercial Press]], established several children's magazines, which included ''Youth Magazine'', and ''Educational Pictures for Children''.<ref name="int.comp.ency" />{{rp|832–833}} The first Chinese children's writer was [[Sun Yuxiu]], an editor of Commercial Press, whose story ''The Kingdom Without a Cat'' was written in the language of the time instead of the classical style used previously. Yuxiu encouraged novelist [[Mao Dun|Shen Dehong]] to write for children as well. Dehong went on to rewrite 28 stories based on classical Chinese literature specifically for children. In 1932, [[Zhang Tianyi]] published ''Big Lin and Little Lin'', the first full-length Chinese novel for children.<ref name="int.comp.ency" />{{rp|833–834}}

The [[Chinese Communist Revolution]] changed children's literature again. Many children's writers were denounced, but Tianyi and [[Ye Shengtao]] continued to write for children and created works that were aligned with [[Maoism|Maoist]] ideology. The 1976 death of [[Mao Zedong]] provoked more changes that swept China. The work of many writers from the early part of the century became available again. In 1990 came ''General Anthology of Modern Children's Literature of China'', a fifteen-volume anthology of children's literature since the 1920s.<ref name="int.comp.ency" />{{rp|834–835}}

===Brazil===
<!-- [[WP:NFCC]] violation: [[File:Sitio-characters.jpg|200px|thumb|The major characters of Brazilian writer Monteiro Lobato's works, illustrated by Manoel Victor Filho.]] -->
In Brazil, [[Monteiro Lobato]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://lobato.globo.com/ |title=MONTEIRO LOBATO |access-date=2017-01-13 |archive-date=2015-04-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150425023720/http://lobato.globo.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> wrote a series of 23 books for children known as [[Sítio do Picapau Amarelo (novel series)|Sítio do Picapau Amarelo]] (The Yellow Woodpecker Ranch), between 1920 and 1940. The series is considered representative of Brazilian children's literature and the Brazilian equivalent to children's classics such as [[C. S. Lewis]], ''[[The Chronicles of Narnia]]'' and [[L. Frank Baum]]'s ''[[The Wonderful Wizard of Oz]]'' series.{{according to whom|date=January 2017}} The concept was introduced in Monteiro Lobato's 1920 short story "A Menina do Narizinho Arrebitado", and was later republished as the first chapter of "Reinações de Narizinho", which is the first novel of the series.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}} The main setting is the "Sítio do Picapau Amarelo", where a boy (Pedrinho), a girl (Narizinho) and their living and thinking anthropomorphic toys enjoy exploring adventures in fantasy, discovery and learning. On several occasions, they leave the ranch to explore other worlds such as [[Neverland]], the mythological [[Ancient Greece]], an underwater world known as "Reino das Águas Claras" (Clear Waters Kingdom), and even the outer space. The "Sítio" is often symbolized by the character of [[Emilia (Sítio do Picapau Amarelo)|Emília]], Lobato's most famous creation.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}}

===India===
[[File:Nandalal Bose 1913 The Home Tagore.jpg|thumb|''The Crescent Moon'' by [[Rabindranath Tagore]] illus. by [[Nandalal Bose]], Macmillan 1913]]
[[Christian missionaries]] first established the [[Calcutta School-Book Society]] in the 19th century, creating a separate genre for children's literature in the country. Magazines and books for children in native languages soon appeared.<ref name="int.comp.ency" />{{rp|808}} In the latter half of the century, [[Raja Shivprasad]] wrote several well-known books in [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]].<ref name="int.comp.ency" />{{rp|810}} A number of respected [[Bengali language|Bengali]] writers began producing [[Bengali literature]] for children, including [[Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar]], who translated some stories and wrote others himself. [[Nobel Prize]]-winner [[Rabindranath Tagore]] wrote plays, stories, and poems for children, including one work illustrated by painter [[Nandalal Bose]]. They worked from the end of the nineteenth century into the beginning of the twentieth. Tagore's work was later translated into English, with Bose's pictures.<ref name="int.comp.ency" />{{rp|811}} [[Behari Lal Puri]] was the earliest writer for children in [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]. His stories were [[Didacticism|didactic]] in nature.<ref name="int.comp.ency" />{{rp|815}}

The first full-length children's book was ''Khar Khar Mahadev'' by [[Narain Dixit]], which was serialized in one of the popular children's magazines in 1957. Other writers include [[Premchand]], and poet [[Sohan Lal Dwivedi]].<ref name="int.comp.ency" />{{rp|811}} In 1919, [[Sukumar Ray]] wrote and illustrated [[Nonsense verse|nonsense rhymes]] in the [[Bengali language]], and children's writer and artist [[Abanindranath Tagore]] finished ''Barngtarbratn''. Bengali children's literature flourished in the later part of the twentieth century. Educator [[Gijubhai Badheka]] published over 200 books in the [[Children's literature in Gujarati language]], and many are still popular.<ref name="int.comp.ency" />{{rp|812}} Other popular Gujarati children's authors were [[Ramanlal Soni]] and [[Jivram Joshi]]. In 1957, political cartoonist [[K. Shankar Pillai]] founded the [[Children's Book Trust]] publishing company. The firm became known for high quality children's books, and many of them were released in several languages. One of the most distinguished writers is Pandit [[Krushna Chandra Kar]] in [[Oriya literature]], who wrote many good books for children, including ''Pari Raija'', ''Kuhuka Raija'', ''Panchatantra'', and ''Adi Jugara Galpa Mala''. He wrote biographies of many historical personalities, such as ''Kapila Deva''. In 1978, the firm organized a writers' competition to encourage quality children's writing. The following year, the Children's Book Trust began a writing workshop and organized the First International Children's Book Fair in [[New Delhi]].<ref name="int.comp.ency" />{{rp|809}} Children's magazines, available in many languages, were widespread throughout India during this century.<ref name="int.comp.ency" />{{rp|811–820}} [[Ruskin Bond]] is also a famous Anglo-Indian writer for children.

=== Argentina ===
[[File:Billiken 001 1919.jpg|thumb|Cover of the Argentine children's magazine ''[[Billiken (magazine)|Billiken]]'' N° 1 (1919)]]
The origins of the Argentine children's literature tradition can be traced back to the publication of ''[[Leyendas Argentinas]]'' (''Argentine Legends'') in 1906 by [[Ada María Elflein]], the Argentine daughter of [[German Argentines|German immigrants]]. Public schooling in [[Argentina]] was established in 1884 as free, compulsory and secular. With the [[Bible]] absent from schools, children's literature became an essential tool through which moral values could be taught. School reading books supported the instruction of civic morality, helping to fill the gap left by the displacing of the [[Catholic Church]] from its traditional position of imparting [[Morality|moral values]]. The commercial implications of this persisted into the 2000s, when Argentine publishing houses marketed [[Roald Dahl]] to teachers by highlighting the values which are transmitted by each of his books.

In 1918, [[Uruguay]]an author [[Horacio Quiroga]] published ''[[:es:Cuentos de la selva|Cuentos de la Selva]]'' (''Tales of the Jungle'') in [[Buenos Aires]]. A collection of short stories for children, about survival in the jungle of the Argentine [[Misiones Province|Province of Misiones]], bringing different types of animals into conflict or allegiance with each other and, occasionally, with humans. It was acclaimed due to the previous reputation Quiroga had obtained writing short stories for adults, particularly in ''[[:es:Cuentos de amor de locura y de muerte|Cuentos de amor de locura y de muerte]] (Tales of Love, Madness and Death)''. However, due to the lack of "moral content", the book was not read in schools.
[[File:Maria elena walsh stern.jpg|thumb|Children's books author [[María Elena Walsh|Maria Elena Walsh]] in 1952.]]
On the other hand, [[Constancio C. Vigil]] had much more success in Argentine schools, where his more moralizing stories were frequently read. He also created [[Editorial Atlántida]], an important publishing house and the country's leading magazine publisher and distributor, specially of magazines aimed to children such as ''[[Billiken (magazine)|Billiken]].'' Stories written by Vigil, such as ''[[:es:La hormiguita viajera|La Hormiguita Viajera]] (The Little Travelling Ant)'' and ''[[:es:El mono relojero (cuento)|El Mono Relojero]] (The Clockwork Monkey)'' were also read in schools in other countries of [[Latin America]], such as [[Bolivia]], [[Ecuador]], [[Dominican Republic]] and [[Uruguay]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Rea |first=Lauren |date=July 2019 |title=Trajectories in Argentine Children's Literature: Constancio C. Vigil and Horacio Quiroga |url=https://doi.org/10.3366/ircl.2019.0292 |journal=International Research in Children's Literature |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=76–89 |doi=10.3366/ircl.2019.0292 |issn=1755-6198}}</ref><sup>1]</sup>

In the 1960s, [[María Elena Walsh|Maria Elena Walsh]] started publishing children's books, she was the daughter of a railway worker of [[Irish Argentines|Irish descent]], and she had become famous for her poetry and music. After years living in [[Paris]], she came back to Argentina when [[Juan Perón]]'s government was overthrown in the ''[[Revolución Libertadora]]'' (1955). She published the most beloved children's books in Argentina, which are read to this day, such as ''El Reino del Revés (The Upside Down Kingdom), Manuelita ¿dónde vas?'' (''Manuelita, Where Are You Going?'') and ''La Reina Batata (The Sweet Potato Queen).'' She also composed the famous children's song ''[[Manuelita la tortuga|Manuelita]].''

===Iran===
One of the pioneering children's writer in [[Persian language|Persian]] was [[Mehdi Azar-Yazdi]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://jamejamonline.ir/online/1560747366102980643/%D8%A8%D9%87-%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%AF-%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%AF%DB%8C-%DA%A9%D9%87-%D9%82%D8%B5%D9%87%D9%87%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D8%AE%D9%88%D8%A8-%D8%B1%D8%A7-%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D8%A8%DA%86%D9%87%D9%87%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D8%AE%D9%88%D8%A8-%D9%86%D9%88%D8%B4%D8%AA|title=به یاد مردی که قصههای خوب را برای بچههای خوب نوشت|date=April 18, 1393|website=fa}}</ref> His award-winning work, ''Good Stories for Good Children'', is a collection of stories derived from the stories in [[Classical Persian literature]] re-written for children.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0004/000401/040163eo.pdf |title=Image from UNESCO |access-date=2017-05-08 |archive-date=2017-06-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170610220020/http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0004/000401/040163eo.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Nigeria===
{{more citations needed section|date=August 2017}}
Originally, for centuries, stories were told by Africans in their native languages, many being told during social gatherings. Stories varied between mythic narratives dealing with creation and basic proverbs showcasing human wisdom. These narratives were passed down from generation to generation orally.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Shafii |first1=Zainab |title=Aesthetics of Children's Literature in Nigeria: a Study of Selected Books |url=http://kubanni.abu.edu.ng:8080/jspui/bitstream/123456789/7940/1/AESTHETICS%20OF%20CHILDREN%E2%80%99S%20LITERATURE%20IN%20NIGERIA%20A%20STUDY%20OF%20SELECTED%20BOOKS.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170805183328/http://kubanni.abu.edu.ng:8080/jspui/bitstream/123456789/7940/1/AESTHETICS%20OF%20CHILDREN%E2%80%99S%20LITERATURE%20IN%20NIGERIA%20A%20STUDY%20OF%20SELECTED%20BOOKS.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 August 2017 |publisher=Zainab Shafii |access-date=5 August 2017}}</ref> Since its independence in 1960, Nigeria has witnessed a rise in the production of children's literature by its people,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Umer |first1=Marie Linton |title=Children's Literature in Nigeria Revolutionary Omissions |journal=Matatu |volume=17–18 |date=1997 |pages=191–206 |doi=10.1163/18757421-90000224}}</ref> the past three decades contributing the most to the genre. Most children's books depict the African culture and lifestyle, and trace their roots to traditional folktales, riddles, and proverbs. Authors who have produced such works include [[Chinua Achebe]], [[Cyprian Ekwensi]], [[Amos Tutuola]], [[Flora Nwapa]], and [[Buchi Emecheta]].

Achebe's ''[[Chike and the River]]'' (1966) introduced Nigerian storytelling to a global audience, while Ekwensi's ''The Drummer Boy'' (1960) highlighted traditional storytelling's moral lessons. The Noma Award-winning ''The Missing Clock'' (1981) by [[Adeleke Adeyemi|Mai Nasara]] brought further international recognition to Nigerian children's literature.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thenationonlineng.net/my-life-after-winning-nigeria-prize-for-literature-by-mai-nasara/|first=Olukorede |last=Yishau |title=My life after winning Nigeria Prize for Literature, by Mai Nasara |website=[[The Nation (Nigeria)]]|date=2024-04-07|access-date=2025-03-07}}</ref> The 1980s and 1990s saw further growth, with writers such as [[Adaeze Atuegwu]], who published multiple books as a teenager, inspiring a new wave of young Nigerian authors. Publishing companies also aided in the development of children's literature. Today, Nigerian children's literature continues to gain international recognition, blending traditional African narratives with contemporary themes.