Bernard M. Paderes Litt 516 (Children and Adolescent Literature) Dr.

Jennie Jocson This paper will discuss the histor o! children"s literature #oth !orei$n and local. Aside !ro% this& it shall also discuss the i%portance o! stud in$ the histor o! literature. History of Childrens Literature in the West Li'e other $enres& children"s literature started throu$h oral tradition. There were !ol'tales and % tholo$ies that pro(ided speculations a#out #e$innin$s o! ancient people& natural pheno%ena& and the uni(erse. There were also stories that hunters told a#out their )ourne s. These tales were not reall %eant !or children& #ut surel there were children who were present when these stories were told. *n !eudal +urope& there were castle tales and cottage tales. Castle tales were a#out heroic deeds o! the lords& whereas cottage tales were the traditional ,ra$s to riches- tales o! achie(e%ent& usuall in(ol(in$ sla in$ o! dra$ons or wol(es. These tales were told # stor tellers who were said to ha(e powers !or 'eepin$ the children !ro% pla in$ and $rownups !ro% wor'in$. These stor tellers were paid # !ree %eals and lod$in$. .owe(er& in case the o!!ended the lords& the would #e punished. +(en when the printin$ press was in(ented& the #oo's pu#lished& which were e/pensi(e& were still not %eant !or children. *n addition to this& the #oo's did not reall ser(e the children"s interests. The #oo's called horn#oo's and #attledores were instructional %aterials teachin$ alpha#et& nu%erals& reli$ious h %ns& and pra ers. *n addition to these #oo's& 0illia% Ca/ton& the one who esta#lished +n$land"s !irst printin$ press& pu#lished a #oo' called Caxtons Book of Curtesey which contained instructions !or accepta#le %anners. Thou$h he did not reall pu#lished #oo's !or Children& three o! the #oo's he pu#lished are now considered classics o! children"s literature& na%el 1 Reynart the Fox, The Book of Subtle Historyes, and eso!s Fables" .owe(er& his #oo's e(entuall lose their popularit #ecause the were too e/pensi(e. Durin$ the Puritan A$e& children were prohi#ited !ro% readin$ these #oo's a#out dra$ons& !airies& and witches& #elie(in$ that these tales were i%pious and corruptin$2 instead& children were pro(ided with literature which would rein!orce their %oral de(elop%ent e#en $ore. *n addition to The %e& 'ngland (ri$er& which was )ust si%ilar to the horn#oo's and #attledores& there were also #oo's which carried %orall instructin$ titles such as1 Token for Children , Being an 'xact ccount of the Con#ersion, Holy and

'xe$!lary Li#es, and )oyful *eaths & and S!iritual +ilk for Boston Babes in either 'ngland fro$ Breasts of Both Testa$ents for Their Souls %ourish$ent. ,-h dear Lord, &hoe#er &rote these books sure got so$e serious oedi!al issues" Calling Sig$und Freud, nah, Calling + R./' H-L+'S0001 John Loc'e"s theor o! tabula rasa and Jean Jac3ue 4ousseau"s naturalis% created a #i$ chan$e in the societ "s (iew o! childhood and children. 0riters and scholars #e$an producin$ literature !or children. Charles Perrault& with his interest in !air tales& pu#lished Tales o! Mother 5oose& a collection o! !air tales retold !ro% 6rench oral tradition2 0illia% Bla'e wrote poe%s as i! the were written # children the%sel(es2 Ja'o# and 0ilhel% 5ri%% collected 5er%an !ol'tales and re(ised these !or children2 and .ans Christian Andersen wrote the !irst ori$inal stories !or children. Durin$ the 7ictorian a$e& a period %ar'ed # o#ser(ance o! %orals and propriet & %ost o! the literatures !or children pro(ided %odel characters !or the pains o! $rowin$ up. The e/istin$ literatures tau$ht the children to con!ront li!e with the (alues o! coura$e& te%perance& prudence& courtes & and presence o! %ind. Aside !ro% these& there were also 7ictorian writers who wrote stories a#out pro#le%s o! poor children. As the world was chan$in$& the (iews o! childhood had chan$ed as well& !or% a ne$lected sta$e to en)o a#le and al%ost care!ree period o! li!e& This chan$e was re!lected throu$h the increase o! !antas and ad(enture stories !or children. There was Lewis Caroll"s lice in Wonderland& 4o#ert 8te(enson"s Treasure /sland& and Mar' Twain"s d#entures of Huckleberry Finn.

History of Childrens Literature in the (hili!!ines Just li'e in the 0est& Philippine children"s literature also started in the oral tradition. Be!ore the coloni9ation& literatures !or children were trans%itted throu$h oral tradition. Mothers sun$ lulla#ies in their own re$ional lan$ua$e to their #a#ies.2 there were le$ends and % ths told around the ca%p!ire2 and epics that were chanted durin$ reli$ious cere%onies and weddin$s. *t was until the 8panish coloni9ation that #oo's !or children #eca%e a(aila#le. .owe(er& the #oo's& called cartilla& were )ust literac %aterials that include 4o%an alpha#et and reli$ious poe%s and h %%s& %uch li'e the horn#oo's o! the 0est. *t was the A%ericans who #rou$ht literature !or children here in the Philippines. The Tho%asites& #rou$ht copies o! !a%ous

0estern classics such as +other .oose Rhy$es, .ri$$s Fairy Tales and the 0estern Classics such as lice in Wonderland, Little Wo$en, and d#entures of To$ Sa&yer and Huckelberry Finn. *n 1:;5& 8e(erino 4e es& who wrote under the pen na%e , Lola Basyang&- pu#lished his stories !or children in Li&ay&ay +aga2ine" Another %a)or de(elop%ent was !ro% the wor's o! Juan C. La a and Ca%ilo <sias. Both pro%oted the use o! #oo's as supple%entar %aterials !or teachin$ and learnin$. The wrote the !irst te/t#oo's !or 6ilipino school children. .owe(er& thou$h %ost o! their stories were !orei$n& the rest were local !ol'tales& % ths& and le$ends in(ol(in$ 6ilipino ani%als. A!ter the A%erican period& local writers #e$an to rewrite so%e o! the countr "s !ol' literature !ro% +n$lish to 6ilipino. There were so%e or$ani9ations that pioneered %o(e%ents that encoura$es people to write #oo's !or children. There was CLAP*& a $roup who pu#lished a #oo' called ,The Li9ard and <ther 8tories.- 8he was also the one who esta#lished PAMA=A& an or$ani9ation that encoura$es people to write #oo's !or children throu$h teir short stor writin$ contests.
In the 1960s, Bookmark came out with its first picture book titled 'Toby and the Christmas Bell' by arla !otoko thou"h, later, due to poor sales, Bookmark stopped production in its children's book line# $nother illustrated children%s book was Bert &lorentino%s publication of 'ose (arcia )illa%s ' irinisa and *ther +tories#' In the ,0s, -hilippine $ppliance Corporation .-hilacor/ published a series called the !oun" -eople's 0ibrary, hardbound, in full color and with "reat illustrations# It included titles like '&ilipino 1ites and 1ituals,' '&ilipino yths and 0e"ends,' '(ames &ilipino Children -lay,' '+tories &ilipinos Tell#' 2ew 3ay -ublishers came out with ' y &riends and the 4aunted Ca5e' by T# # 6unie"a, 75en the ma"a8ine r# 9 s# came out with 2ick 'oa:uin's .writin" under the name ;ui<ano de anila/ '0ilit Bulilit and the Babe=in=the=>omb' in 19,?# The followin" year, 'oa:uin wrote more stories on the same "enre with a series of 10 titles called '-op +tories for (roo5y @ids,' all a retellin" of mythical and le"endary fi"ures like Ibon" $darna, aria akilin", Banahaw, and 'uan Tamad# This was funded by a pri5ate institution to celebrate the International !ear of the Child in 19,9#

To su% thin$s up& #oth 0estern and Philippine children"s literature started with the oral tradition. There were !antas and ad(enture stories #ut these do not see% to cater children"s needs and interests2 the were )ust told !or enculturation and entertain%ent o! the $eneral pu#lic. *n the 0est& the stru$$le *n the Philippines& was the stru$$le to ha(e an identit o! its own

References Al#a& 4einerio A. (Jul ;>& ;??@). %urturing Chidlrens Literature in the (hili!!ines. =ational Co%%ision on Culture and the Arts.

http1AAwww.ncca.$o(.phAa#outBcultureBandBartsAarticlesBonBcBnB aAarticle.phpCiD6@Esu#catD1@ 4etrie(ed (Jul 5& ;?1;) Lope9& *( . (8epte%#er 1?& ;?1?). Childrens Literature in the (hili!!ines. Pensi(e A(enue. http1AApensi(ea(enue.#lo$spot.co%A;?1?A?:AchildrensBliteratureBinB philippines.ht%l. 4etrie(ed( Jul F& ;?1;) =orton& Doroth . (1:>G). Through the eyes of the child3 an introduction to childrens literature" <.1 Merill Pu#lishin$ Co.