An Introduction

Welcome to The Child and The Book where I will write about my research into the history of childhood reading.

There is a child. There is a book.  Bring them together and... something powerful happens. Or so it is believed. Childhood reading is shaped, monitored, feared, prescribed, and imagined in a variety of ways (usually by adults - educators, parents, authors, publishers, librarians, etc.).  I'm interested in the ways it is shaped and why: the ideologies, hopes, fears, etc. that go into childhood reading.

I've been thinking about this topic for a while now (there is a dissertation somewhere with a similar title) but spurred on by a new research project this summer, I've decided to share some of what I've learned.  It will help me write, give me a place to share pretty pictures, and maybe (hopefully) eventually hear from other people who know or care about this topic, too.