Childcraft is a multi-volume illustrated anthology
for children, which originated in the late 1930s.
The Childcraft series was originally created in the 1930s by W. F. Quarrie & Company, then publishers of the World Book encyclopedia. The series' title was Childcraft – The How and Why Library.
Childcraft was created as a sort of encyclopedia for young children. With simple texts and illustrations, the volumes were designed to make learning fun. Each volume addressed different subjects, including literature — such as short stories and poetry, including fairy tales and nursery rhymes — as well as mathematics and the sciences.
Starting out as seven volumes in the late 1930s, the series was re-issued in a new edition every few years, sometimes incorporating new volumes and re-arranging existing ones. It grew to 15 volumes in the 1950s, and remained there, though further changes were made in later editions.
The Childcraft set also added a separate, optional, special annual volume each year, starting in 1965. Some of these were later incorporated as regular volumes.
In addition, by the 1980s the series had broadened its reach to a dozen foreign language editions, with editions shipped to over 50 countries around the world.
The 15 volumes of Childcraft, published by World Book, Inc., currently consist of:
The Childcraft series was originally created in the 1930s by W. F. Quarrie & Company, then publishers of the World Book encyclopedia. The series' title was Childcraft – The How and Why Library.
Childcraft was created as a sort of encyclopedia for young children. With simple texts and illustrations, the volumes were designed to make learning fun. Each volume addressed different subjects, including literature — such as short stories and poetry, including fairy tales and nursery rhymes — as well as mathematics and the sciences.
Starting out as seven volumes in the late 1930s, the series was re-issued in a new edition every few years, sometimes incorporating new volumes and re-arranging existing ones. It grew to 15 volumes in the 1950s, and remained there, though further changes were made in later editions.
The Childcraft set also added a separate, optional, special annual volume each year, starting in 1965. Some of these were later incorporated as regular volumes.
In addition, by the 1980s the series had broadened its reach to a dozen foreign language editions, with editions shipped to over 50 countries around the world.
Contents
The 15 volumes of Childcraft, published by World Book, Inc., currently consist of:
- Once Upon a Time- short stories and folk tales.
- Art Around Us
- Poems and Rhymes - poetry
- How Things Work
- How Does it Happen?
- Our Earth
- Our Universe
- Shapes and Numbers
- The World of Animals
- The World of Plants
- About You
- Celebrate!
- See The World
- Who We Are
- Guide to Childcraft
Note by the Blog Author
The Childcraft
volumes predate Dr. Benjamin Spock and much of the baby and child psychology
literature – and outlasted all of the post-war child rearing fads. They offered a godsend to post-war parents,
such as mine, who had to answer all the vexing and complex questions that
children raise about how radio and television work, whether an anemone is a
plant or an animal, and whether fables are true or false. It’s almost a series of books on how to raise
your child as an engineer or a journalist.
Childcraft was a
clever and durable product that outlasted the encyclopedia business itself.
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