Place of Fairy Tales in Children's Literature

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PLACE OF FAIRY TALES IN CHILDREN'S LITERATURE Storytelling has been in existence since human beings started living in groups and ever since they learned to communicate. All over the world, the elders of a group or village passed down stories which they heard from their own ancestors. The stories children heard first were based on society’s religious and cultural beliefs. It has taken long for children’s literature to take shape. Its growth can be traced through a study of its milestones: the books and authors and institutions that paved the way for the flourishing children’s book industry of today. Generally, books children choose and read form Children’s Literature. Elders at home, teachers and librarians determine what are appropriate for children and these also fall under the category of children’s literature. These books have in common: simple style, simple vocabulary, rhyming and lyrical words and phrases, because children enjoy lyrical and rhythmic language. The first book written exclusively for children was a book on table manners printed around 1487 in France. Though the subject matter was dull, the text was written in rhymes and so the book became very popular. In the 1600s and 1700s, books of pious and moral stories and others incorporating far off places and fantastic deeds appeared. Travelling salesmen came to doorsteps selling small, handmade booklets called chapbooks, which drew children to them. These books of ancient legends, ballads, and folktales were either sewn together or simply folded. The first full-length picture book for children was published in 1657 by a Moravian bishop and educator, Johann Amos Comenius. This book, ‘The Illustrated World’ was the first to attempt to match images with words to help children better absorb the material. In 1729, the first English translation of ‘The Tales of Mother Goose’ was

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