So dated.?á And Townsend misses much, misunderstands much.?á (He doesn't like Peter Pan, and thinks Winnie-the-Poo simple fluff, for example.)?á?á Part of the problem is that he's comparing only British books, only up to the early 1960s.?á So many wonderful books have been written since then, that most of the obscure titles he mentions that he'd like to see reprinted would actually pale in comparison.?á?á I'm not sure of his qualification to write this survey, but he is a parent, so I did keep reading and trying to glean tidbits.

One way we know it's dated: he bemoans the lack of literature for adolescents - I guess the YA designation was not yet created, and so the few titles that could be enjoyed by teens were not yet inspiring writers to fill the niche with more... and he does understand exactly what teens need that they can't get from Juv or Adult.?á

I want to look for some of the early original fairy tales.?á Yes, I've enjoyed Ruskin's The King of the Golden River more than once, but T. also recommends The Rose and the Ring, by W.M. Thackeray.?á Townsend doesn't appreciate Dickens' charming The Magic Fishbone, but I learned that it is one of four tales in A Holiday Romance, so I will be looking for that.?á

Walter de la Mere is 'not a hit with all children' but I do want to find The Three Royal Monkeys (nee' The Three Mulla-Mulgars), Broomsticks, and Collected Stories for Children.

T. is very British Empire, noble race, all that.?á He doesn't particularly approve of the moral qualms expressed in Roy Fuller's Savage Gold.?á I guess that means I want to try to find that adventure story.

Eilas Dillon's 'adventure stories in distinctive settings' look interesting.?á They look like much more than just adventure, too.?á Try The House on the Shore, The Island of Horses, and, especially, The Coriander, with its doctor kidnapped to serve the isolated community.

Also intriguing is Fair to Middling, by Arthur Calder Marshall, which includes allegory, satire, humor, set in The School for Incapacitated Children ... Is there a chance this has any connection with Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children?

Alan Garner gets a mention, of course - for two books I don't recognize: The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, and The Moon of Gomrath.?á Heavy fantasy, but fantastic writing style....

Jolly witchy fantasy can be found in Carbonel and The Kingdom of Carbonel, by Barbara Sleigh. Penny's Way, by Mary Harris, captures my attention because T. mentions that ?Ç£Mother is a little afraid of her clever eldest daughter Cordelia.?Ç¥ Now, wasn't William Mayne the author of the poetic & intense fantasy Hob and the Goblins? Apparently he was quite prolific, beginning a 'distinctive' series of school stories with the attractive A Swarm in May. (If I can't get that, I can consider reading the sequels, but really the first is the best, according to T.) He also wrote treasure hunt fantasies (T.'s odd way of trying to capture what he sees as key elements) in stand-alones A Grass Rope and The Thumbstick. I sure hope I can find them. Gillian Avery seems to create refreshingly original children in The Warden's Niece and in The Elephant War. Implication is that these books are either not liked, or adored, depending on the reader. Lion at Large, by Richard Parker, looks delightful, and sympathetic to a very young child.

Now, I suspect that, in reality, I never will be able to find hardly any of those titles.?á But I will save this review for reference, and try! ?á" ( )

A splendid book.....reading it gives one a taste of the best in the genre. ( )

In which Mr. Townsend admires "The Wind In the Willows" and judges any and all other books inferior. ( )

Offers a history and analysis of children's literature, examining its development and the various strands that comprise it. Contains four chronological sections, discussing aspects such as domestic dramas, fantasy between the wars, modern fantasy, realism, and picture books, with synopses of representative works. Includes b&w illustrations from books. This sixth edition includes British and American children's books through 1994.

John Rowe Townsend has published more than twenty books for children and young people and has lectured extensively on children's literature in the United States, Britain, Australia, and Japan.

This revised and updated edition provides children's and young adult librarians, teachers, literature classes, and library school classes with an authoritative history and analysis of the best British and American children's literature through 1994. "Written for Children" traces the development of children's literature from its origins through the beginnings of the multimedia revolution. In effortless and entertaining style, Townsend, a world-renowned authority in the field, examines the changing attitudes toward children and their literature and analyzes the various strands that make up this important field. While examining many well-known American classics, Townsend also looks at British works that American audiences may have overlooked. With illustrations and bibliography.