A History of Children’s Stories: “The Haunted Wood” by Sam Leith

One of the earliest memories I have is my mother reading to me from a big, green book of tales for children. Stories Children Love by Watty Piper, a collection of nine tales, was first published in the 1920s and reprinted in 1933. I believe my book, which I still have, was a reprint from about 1950. 

The stories are the familiar ones, including “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Peter Pan,” “Cinderella,” “Three Bears,” and “Jack and the Beanstalk.” The illustrations are classic 1920s.

 

What I didn’t know is that these stories have a history. In fact, all children’s literature has a history. While a surprising amount of it is fairly modern, it is a history with deep roots; adults having been telling children stories for millennia. A now Sam Leith has undertaken telling that history in The Haunted Wood: A History of Childhood Reading.

To continue reading, please see my post today at Tweetspeak Poetry.