Children’s Books in the Classroom
Lewis Carroll’s classic fantasy Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) ushered in a golden age of children’s literature, one that captured the playful joy of children. But it wasn’t until the mid-20th century — when masters like Dr. Seuss and Maurice Sendak were welcomed into the classroom — that more diverse and complex works for young readers truly began to take off.
It might seem totally obvious: Children should read fun, fantastical books in the classroom and outside of it, so they can learn to love to read. But it turns out that this particular view of children’s books is relatively new. (NPR)
