Even critics who emphasize the subversive or nondidactic nature of literature for children, such as Alison Lurie, must nonetheless implicitly recognize its pedagogic value, noting that it can 'appeal to the imaginative, questioning' child-the child who learns, in other words-and 'act as a force for change' (xi). Hunt writes, for example, that 'it is arguably impossible for a children's book (especially one being read by a child) not to be educational or influential in some way it cannot help but reflect an ideology and, by extension, didacticism' (3).

Seth Lerer's recent Children's Literature: A Reader's History similarly traces the origins of children's literature in didacticism, as does Peter Hunt in his very different Introduction to Children's Literature. Seth Lerer Children's Literature: A Reader's History, from Aesop to Harry Potter Kindle Edition by Seth Lerer (Author) Format: Kindle Edition 44 ratings See all formats and editions Kindle 14.49 Read with Our Free App Audiobook 0.00 Free with your Audible trial Ever since children have learned to read, there has been children’s literature. Thus, for example, David Rudd claims that most histories of children's literature on 'the tension between instruction and entertainment,' and that the genre as we know it develops within, among other things, 'an educational system promoting literacy' (29, 34). 1 2009 by Professor Seth Lerer (Author) 43 ratings See all formats and editions Kindle Edition 15.52 Read with Our Free App Audiobook 0.00 Free with your Audible trial Hardcover 85.74 12 Used from 22.54 8 New from 64. It starts from two premises: first, that at least one origin of children's literature is in didacticism, and that learning and pedagogy continue to be important in much of the literature we provide for children today. Seth Lerer Childrens Literature: A Readers History, from Aesop to Harry Potter Paperback Illustrated, Sept. This essay is an investigation into how learning is portrayed in children's books.

Children's Literature by Seth Lerer