Peter and Iona Opie

•Specialized in the children’s literature, the customs of schoolchildren, children’s rhymes and playground rhymes
•1951 The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes
•1959 The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren
•The Opie Collection at the Bodleian Library at Oxford University contains 20,000 pieces, covering the 16th to 20th centuries

Biography of the Opies

Lilly Library Collection

University of Sheffield Collection

Bodleian Library Collection

Opie Collection of Children's Games and Songs (recordings)

Children's Playground Games and Songs in the New Media Age

20th Century British Children's Literature

•1926 Winnie-The Pooh by A. A. Milne
•1937 The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
•1941 First children’s paperback books published
•1950 The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
•1964 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
•1997 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling

The CILIP Carnegie & Kate Greenaway Children's Book Awards

The Secret Garden

•1910 classic of English children’s literature by Frances Hodgson Burnett
•Using the garden theme, Burnett explores the healing power inherent in living themes
•Struggle between common sense and the accepted wisdom of the day
•Was marketed to both children and adults

Complete Story

Peter Pan

•1904 play and 1911 novel by James Barrie
•Major theme: the conflict between the innocence of childhood and the responsibility of adulthood
•Traditionally in the play, a woman plays the part of Peter Pan and an actor plays both Mr. Darling and Captain Hook

Five Children and It

•1902 by Edith Nesbit
•Fantasy book that expanded into a trilogy
•Has never been out of print since its initial publication
•Direct influence on P. L. Travers, Edward Eager, Diana Wynne Jones, C. S. Lewis, and J. K. Rowling

Complete story

The Tale of Peter Rabbit

•1901 animal story written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter
•Translated into 36 languages and is one of the best-selling books of all time
•Generated other merchandise over the decades, including dolls, games, wallpaper, clothing, etc.
Nick Jr. Peter Rabbit printables

The Beatrix Potter Society Information

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

• Written in 1865 by Lewis Carroll
• First English masterpiece for children
• The founding book in the development of fantasy fiction
• John Tenniel became one of the first famous children's illustrators

Original Alice with Tenniel's pictures at the Hathi Trust

Tom Brown's School Days

• Published in 1857 by Thomas Hughes
• Was the founding book in the School Story genre, commonly set in English boarding schools
• Plots involve sports, bullies, romance, bravery
• Declined in popularity after the World War II

Popular School Stories:

• The Governess, or the Little Female Academy was precursor
• Jane Eyre
• David Copperfield
• Little Men
• What Katy Did at School
• Little Town on the Prairie
• Naughtiest Girl in the School 
• Sweet Valley High
• Harry Potter 

The History of Good Two Shoes

• 1765 The History of Goody Two Shoes, published by John Newbery 
• First original English fiction to amuse children
• Variation of the Cinderella story

Original Plot of Goody Two Shoes

Urban dictionary:

goody two shoes 

A person (almost always a female) who tries to be as good and "clean" as humanly possible. She is more often than not a staunch conservative and takes pride in her virginity and her practice of abstinence. She is definitely a God-fearing girl who always goes to church every Sunday, and indeed, based on the way she dresses, she looks like she's going to church every day. She cannot abide it when people cuss in front of her–the most extreme goody two shoeses faint when hearing foul language–and of course she would never consider smoking, drinking, doing drugs, or having any physical contact with a boy beyond holding hands or perhaps a kiss on the cheek. Can be nice but eventually begins to lecture you about your "sinful" lifestyle and just becomes a pest.

Adam Ant, 1982

The Pilgrim's Progress

1678 by John Bunyan
Allegory of man's quest for salvation

Outline of story

Le Morte d'Arthur

• By Sir Thomas Malory
• Traditional tales about King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, and the Knights of the Round Table
• Malory interpreted existing French and English stories and added some original material
• First published in 1485 by William Caxton
• Best known work of Arthurian literature in English

Complete Stories

University of Rochester Exhibit