Children's Literature Week - Atlas Obscura
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Children's Literature Week
June 12–16

Children's Literature Week

June 12-16

The moat.
Nottinghamshire, England

Fountain Dale

This muddy wooded valley and the ancient structures it hides are said to be the favored haunt of the legendary Friar Tuck.
The carved bench.
Bridge of Allan, Scotland

Ben Gunn's Cave

A carved bench marks the Scottish cave that inspired the classic adventure novel "Treasure Island."
Kneippen, Sweden

Villa Villekulla

Visit the home of Sweden's beloved fictional character, Pippi Longstocking.
books

We Asked, You Answered: The Kids' Books You Wish More People Remembered

Atlas Obscura readers took quite the trip down memory lane this week.
Sommer Mathis June 18, 2017
Fred Gwynne, on the right, in character as Herman in <em>The Munsters</em>.
television

The Man Behind Herman Munster Wrote Some Puntastic Children's Books

Fred Gwynne left a wonderfully goofy literary legacy.
Andy Wright June 16, 2017
A teenage Beatrix Potter and her pet mouse, Xarifa, in 1885.
literature

Beatrix Potter's Greatest Work Was a Secret, Coded Journal She Kept as a Teen

It took a dedicated superfan 13 years to translate it.
Cara Giaimo June 16, 2017
<em>Equal Areas, Their Triangular Square Root and Pi</em>, by Crockett Johnson
paintings

The Artful Precision of the Creator of 'Harold and the Purple Crayon'

After a long career as a cartoonist and illustrator, Crockett Johnson spent his final decade painting mathematical equations.
Eric Grundhauser June 16, 2017
Dhan Gopal Mukerji's <em>Gay Neck: The Story of a Pigeon</em>.
suicide

The Spirited Life and Sad End of the First Indian-American Children’s Book Author

Dhan Gopal Mukerji was a prolific writer and an early cultural ambassador between East and West.
Samir S. Patel June 16, 2017
A hobo riding the rails, 1930s.
features

How Hobo Nostalgia Inspired the 'Boxcar Children' Book Series

In the 1920s, trampdom was romanticized.
Virginia Marshall June 16, 2017
From <em>The Child's ABC of War</em>, 1914.
wwi

The ABCs of WWI, a British Wartime Alphabet Primer

D stands for dreadnought.
Anika Burgess June 16, 2017
A close-up of a pop-up book paper cheetah.
engineering

The History of Movable Paper in One Massive, 9,000-Book Collection

Pop-ups, harlequinades, and Meggendorfers, oh my!
Kelsey Kennedy June 15, 2017
Shel Silverstein, author of <em>Uncle Shelby's ABZ</em>, c. 1968.
features

A Look Back at Shel Silverstein's Adults-Only Children's Book

Uncle Shelby's ABZs teach a lot more than the alphabet.
Kevin Litman-Navarro June 15, 2017
literature

The Artful Propaganda of Soviet Children’s Literature

In 1920s Russia, children read about sugar beets, hydroelectric plants, and five-year plans.
Anika Burgess June 15, 2017
Not all of these have been translated into Latin, but more than you'd think!
books

The Highbrow Struggles of Translating Modern Children's Books Into Latin

What's the best way to translate Dr. Seuss to a dead language?
Eric Grundhauser June 15, 2017
An 1855 portrait of the Brothers Grimm.
collections

The Grimm Brothers' Other Great Project Was Writing a Giant German Dictionary

They got up to F, and then it took another century to complete.
Sarah Laskow June 15, 2017
An illustration from 1855 of <em>The Tortoise and the Hare</em>.
features

Some Versions of 'The Tortoise and the Hare' Messed With the Moral

Slow and steady doesn't always win the race.
Natalie Zarrelli June 15, 2017
Rochester, New York

The Dr. Seussophone

A Seussian sculpture made of brass instruments.
A scene from Beauty and the Beast, aka ATU tale type 425C.
literature

The ATU Fable Index: Like the Dewey Decimal System, But With More Ogres

"The Wolf Dives Into the Water for Reflected Cheese," and other highlights of folktale categorization.
Cara Giaimo June 14, 2017