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This picture book biography for children is about John Newbery, who lived his whole life believing children should have books of their own they enjoyed reading.
The book follows a timeline from when John was a small child who enjoyed reading more than “forking hay.” He carried this love of stories into his adulthood, where he opened a store (in London, in St. Paul’s churchyard) devoted to children’s books. Young readers will learn about some of the first stories published and made available through John’s store. The stories were about giants, ABCs, and a little girl named Goody Two-Shoes.
The history of children’s books is fascinating because it involves mystery (unknown authors) and just one man who, with help from just a handful of people, changed the presiding values and opinion of the day, which was books were not for children. The detailed illustrations are representative of life in the 1700s. Men wear powdered wigs and boys wore short pants. The illustrations show newly printed papers drying and define words such as balderdash. But the best part is they show everyone reading. People walk when they read, do chores when they read, travel with a book, and share their books with others.
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Balderdash!: John Newbery and the Boisterous Birth of Children's Books