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Childcraft is a multi-volume illustrated anthology for children, which originated in 1934.
Origin and description
The Childcraft series was originally created in 1934 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 2011-2013 edition consists of the following 12 unnumbered volumes:
- Art Around Us
- The World of Animals
- The World of Plants
- Our Earth
- Our Universe
- How Does it Happen?
- How Things Work
- Shapes and Numbers
- About You
- Who We Are
- See The World
- Celebrate!
The 2000-2007 edition consists of the following 15 volumes:
- Poems and Rhymes - poetry
- Once Upon a Time- short stories and folk tales.
- Art Around Us
- The World of Animals
- The World of Plants
- Our Earth
- Our Universe
- How Does it Happen?
- How Things Work
- Shapes and Numbers
- About You
- Who We Are
- See The World
- Celebrate!
- Guide and Index
The 1985-1996 edition consists of the following:
- Once Upon a Time
- Time to Read (1982-1990) or Stories and Poems (1991-1995)
- Stories and Poems (1982-1990) or Time to Read (1991-1995)
- World and Space
- About Animals
- The Green Kingdom
- How Things Work (1982-1990) or Story of the Sea (1991-1995)
- About Us
- Holidays and Birthdays
- Places to Know
- Make and Do
- Look and Learn (1982-1990) or How Things Work (1991-1995)
- Mathemagic
- About Me
- Guide for Parents (1982-1990) or Guide to Childcraft (1991-1995)
The 1973-1982 edition consists of the following:
- Poems and Rhymes
- Stories and Fables
- Children Everywhere
- World and Space
- About Animals
- How Things Work
- How We Get Things
- What People Do
- Holidays and Customs
- Places to Know
- Make and Do
- Look and Learn
- Look Again
- About Me
- Guide for Parents
The 1954 edition consisted of the following:
- Poems of Early Childhood
- Storytelling and Other Poems
- Folk and Fairy Tales
- Animal Friends and Adventures
- Life in Many Lands
- Great Men and Famous Deeds
- Exploring the World Around Us
- Creative Play and Hobbies
- Science and Industry
- Art for Children
- Music for the Family
- You and Your Family
- Your Young Child
- Your Child Goes to School
- Your Child in Today's World
The following "Childcraft Annual" volumes were released.
- 1965. Places to Know
- 1966. Look and Learn
- 1967. Braving the Elements
- 1968. Look Again
- 1969. About Me
- 1970. Children Everywhere
- 1971. About Animals
- 1972. The Green Kingdom
- 1973. About Us
- 1974. Animals in Danger
- 1975. The Magic of Words
- 1976. Prehistoric Animals
- 1977. About Dogs
- 1978. Mathemagic
- 1979. Story of the Sea
- 1980. The Indian Book
- 1981. The Bug Book
- 1982. The Puzzle Book
- 1983. Feathered Friends
- 1984. Great Myths and Legends
- 1985. Conquest of the Sky
- 1986. Mysteries and Fantasies
- 1987. Dinosaurs
- 1988. Stories of Freedom
- 1989. World of Color/People to Know
- 1990. A Place to Live/How We Get Things
- 1991. I Was Wondering
- 1992. Pets and Other Animals
- 1993. Inventors and Inventions
- 1994. A Look Into Space
- 1995. Our Amazing Bodies
- 1996. Exploring the Ocean
- 1997. Science, Science Everywhere
- 1998. Friends in the Wild
- 1999. The Fact Factory
- 2000. World Adventure
- 2001. Stories to Share
- 2002. Secrets of the Past
- 2003. Heroes and Helpers
- 2004. Native North Americans
- 2005. All About Birds
- 2006. Tales of Mystery and the Unknown
- 2007. Insects, Spiders, and Creepy Crawlers
- 2008. Dogs, from Woofs to Wags
- 2009. Tales Through Time
- 2010. Brain Games
- 2011. Code Red: Animals in Peril
- 2012. Letters to Words
- 2013. A Dream Takes Flight
- 2014. The Secret Files of Professor L. Otto Funn
- 2015. Dr. Mollie Cule Reboots the Robot
- 2016. Dinosaurs Great & Small
- 2017. MFF (Math Friends Forever)
- 2018. Monster All Around
- 2019. Where in the World Can I…
- 2020. Animals at Work
- 2021. Taste the World!
- 2022. Out of This World
Footnotes
- World Book, Inc. (1990). Childcraft: The How and Why Library. Chicago: World Book, Inc. pp. Volume 1, p. 6. ISBN 0716601907.
- World Book, Inc. Answers.com. International Directory of Company Histories, The Gale Group, Inc., 2006. accessed November 20, 2008
See also
References
- World Book, Inc. Answers.com. International Directory of Company Histories, The Gale Group, Inc., 2006
External links
- Childcraft – The How & Why Library Official site