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Did you know the book Harry Potter was rejected 12 times or that the ‘Cat in a Hat’ was a literary experiment? There are fun facts about famous children books that you never even knew about. So, why not dive beyond the bedtime stories and understand these fascinating facts about the books and those who wrote them? This blog covers the top 15+ lesser-known facts about the famous children’s Books. Read these facts and let us know which one surprised you the most.
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Facts About Famous Children Books
Children’s books are timeless tales. Read these twenty surprising facts about the iconic children’s books.
1.The Oldest Known Children’s Book was Written Around 600 BC
The modern children’s literature started in the 18th century. However, the ancient stories like Aesop’s Fables (circa 600 BCE) were shared even before they were ever written. These children’s books teach life lessons. For example, the tale of ‘Tortoise and the Hare’ is popular even today.
2.The Manners Guide is the First Published Children’s Book
One of the facts about famous children books is that The Little Pretty Pocket-Book ‘’(1744) by John Newbery is the first commercially published book for children. John Newbery is also called the father of Children’s literature. This book had moral lessons, rhymes, and games. On the other hand, Orbis Sensualium Pictus (1658), is the first picture book for children that was ever published.
3.”The Hobbit” Started as a Bedtime Story
J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of ‘The Hobbit’, invented the character Bilbo Baggins to entertain his children at bedtime. This is one of the most interesting facts about famous children books. Although it was a bedtime story, his book got the attention of a publisher and was published in 1937.
4. “Goodnight Moon” Was Initially Banned
The book ‘Goodnight Moon was banned because it was considered too sentimental. Margaret Wise Brown’s book became a classic bestseller in 1947. However, Anne Carroll Moore, a librarian, famously labelled it as ‘’unbearably sentimental”.
5.“Where the Wild Things Are” Was a Controversial Book
Maurice Sendak’s 1963 book got banned because some libraries called it a book that consists of ‘dark themes’. Moreover, it was disliked for its unruly protagonist. It became controversial so that even psychologists debated whether the character would encourage bad behaviour. This was another one of the lesser-known facts about famous children books.
6. The Book “Green Eggs and Ham” was Written Because of a Dare
Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss) had a bet with his editor that he could write a book using 50 unique words. To fulfil the bet, he wrote Green Eggs and Ham (1960). His editor challenged him because he had just written 225 words in his previous book, The Cat in the Hat.
E.B. White had a sick pig that he failed to nurse back to health. This guilt drove him to write the story ‘’Charlotte’s Web. The book talks about a spider which reduced a pig. In order to write this book, E.B. White studied spiders for months to write the perfect dialogue.
8. J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter Was Rejected 12 Times
Want to know another one of the facts about famous children’s books? Harry Potter is a book that got rejected 12 times. The book Philosopher’s Stone (1997) was rejected by publishers because it was too long. They also considered it as an unmarketable book. Finally, a Bloomsbury editor took a chance and published the book. The reason? His 8-year-old child wanted to read more.
9. “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” Book Was First About a Worm
Want to know one of the weird facts about famous children books? Eric Carle’s book The Very Hungry Caterpillar was almost written about a worm. The author wanted to publish the title as ‘A Week with Willi Worm’. However, his editor suggested that he use a caterpillar instead. The colourful art and the hole-punched pages made this book as an art.
10. The Most Translated Book in the World is ‘The Little Prince’
The Little Prince, written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, is the second most translated book. This book has been translated into more than 530 languages. It is a philosophical novella written in 1943. However, after its publication a year later, due to the Second World War, the man disappeared in a plane crash.
11. The Tale of Peter Rabbit is a Self-Published Book
Want to know one of the facts about famous children books? Beatrix Potter faced rejection from several publishers. She couldn’t get her book published. Therefore, eventually she decided to self-publish the book. She printed 250 copies of the book, and it became a commercial success. Since then, she has sold over 45 million copies of the book.
12. “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” Was Inspired by a Real Girl
Lewis Carroll’s book Alice in Wonderland is based on a real girl named Alice.This is one of the fascinating facts about famous children books. Alice Liddell was the daughter of a friend. In 1862, he narrated the book to her and her friends on a boat ride. Another fact is that the original manuscript of the book ‘Alice’s Adventures Under Ground’ consists of illustrations made by Lewis Carroll litself!
13. Winnie-the-Pooh Was the Name of an Actual Bear
A.A. Milne named the honey-loving bear character after a black bear at the London Zoo. On the other hand, Pooh was named after a swan from the poem he wrote. Other characters were named after his son’s stuffed animals. The original Winnie-the-Pooh stuffed bear is now on display at the New York Public Library.
14. Roald Dahl was going to End ‘Matlida’ on a Dark Note
Roald Dahl wrote the story of the girl with neglectful parents. This story was called Matilda. As per Roald Dahl, he was going to give this book a darker ending. That is, Matilda’s parents didn’t reform, and Miss Honey would reveal a tragic past about her. However, the editors of the book wanted a hopeful ending. Therefore, the heartwarming ending was made. Roald Dahl wrote this book in a garden shed!
14. “The Secret Garden” Was Written During a Personal Tragedy
Want to know another inspiring facts about famous children books? Frances Hodgson Burnett was grieving the death of her son when she wrote the book. The story talks about healing and renewal. This mirrored her emotional journey. Frances Hodgson Burnett was also one of the first people to advocate for copyright law,
15. “The Cat in the Hat” Was a Literacy Experiment
The book “The Cat in the Hat” was written by Dr. Seuss. He wrote this book to replace the “Dick and Jane” primers. He used 236 unique words to write this book. His book revolutionised how children’s books are read. Dr. Seuss was inspired by his own collection of hats to write the story.
FAQs
The Little Prince is the most translated book after the Bible! Besides this book, the most famous children’s books are Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865), and the Harry Potter series.
The first book that was written for children was John Newbery’s The Little Pretty Pocket-Book. This was the world’s first commercial children’s book.
John Newbery, the British publisher, is considered the father of children’s books. He has even won the prestigious Newbery Medal. The medal is only granted to those who have written outstanding books for children.
Aesop’s Fables (circa 600 BC) is considered the oldest book written for children. This book is a collection of short stories for children On the other hand, the oldest printed book is the Orbis Sensualium Pictus (1658).
A book becomes popular when it has a captivating plot. Besides this, a children’s book must consist of a moral leson. Moreover, the book must be creative enough to help the children imagine characters.
Find more interesting reads below!
These were the facts about the last ruler of Maurya Dynasty. If you find it fascinating and wish to read more such interesting facts, then stay tuned to the General Knowledge page of Leverage Edu.
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