Reading history in children's books

the long version

Reading History in Children's Books offers a critical account of historical books about Britain written for children, including realist novels, non-fiction, fantasy and alternative histories. It is also an original investigation of the literary, ideological and philosophical challenges involved in writing about the past for child readers. Butler and O'Donovan develop a number of case studies centred on different periods, including the Roman invasion of Britain, the age of Arthur, and the Home Front in World War II, and use these as the basis of an analysis that takes in anachronism; ideology and point of view; history and myth; history's relationship with memory; and narratives about the possible pattern of history as a whole. They also offer observations on the ways in which these factors are reflected in the reading experience available to children today, both in and beyond the classroom.