Customer Reviews

Children's Literature: A Reader's History from Aesop to Harry Potter

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
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I love to read and reread classic children's literature, ancient and modern. Seth Lerer has provided a highly scholarly but extremely accessible and enjoyable work on its history. I had some misgivings in purchasing this, because in my experience too much analysis can kill even the most fervent attachment. But I realized I had nothing to fear when I found chapter after chapter of absorbing information. I learned so much that I never knew about old favorites like Aesop's fables, and found so many unexpected connections, like the link between Charles Darwin and Dr. Seuss!

In a work covering such a broad field and span of time much must be summarized or barely touched upon. I would have loved to have read more about Harriet the Spy, for example. But this book was a delight to read and will be a treasure to keep and refer to again and again.

Interesting perspective on children's literature. Begins from the premise that children's literacy, and reading materials for children have gone back to the Greeks if not before. In addition to putting the literature of children in historical context, the author also delves into the various symbols and meanings which children's literature carries for all of us. Creative, scholarly, and incredibly comprehensive.

This text looks into the movements behind literature, not just the literature itself. It is entertaining and informative - a good read. I was a little disappointed because I wanted to read more criticism on the historical works by Barrie or Stevenson or countless others, not just about how John Locke or countless others view children. I was brought to this discipline by itunesU which has three (maybe there are more but I found three) series of lectures about children's literature by David Beagley.

"Children's Literature" is on the ROROTOKO list of cutting-edge intellectual nonfiction. Professor Lerer's book interview ran here as the cover feature on May 17, 2010.