R-W Twentieth Century Children's Literature

Harper Lee, P.G. Wodehouse, A.A. Milne, and More…

Oct 15, 2009

Adventure and misadventure, fantasy and fairy tale, monsters and mystery...growing up isn't easy, but some story from this guide suits the sympathies of any child.

It is often said that children have active imaginations, and nothing appeals to the imagination more than reading fiction.

Continuing from L-P Twentieth Century Children’s Literature, ranging from the ordinary to the extreme this diverse collection of twentieth century novels, stories, and poems offers something for all literary appetites.

Like Anne Shirley of Anne of Green Gables and Pollyanna Whittier of Pollyanna, Rebecca Rowena Randall is an optimistic orphan.

Coming from a poor but large farm family, Rebecca’s aunts determine to take one of the children to ease the financial burden of the large Randall family, headed by a father considered by the aunts to be irresponsible.

Various difficulties and adventures occur as Rebecca grows into a young lady of imagination and academic accomplishment, until she at last becomes economically indendent and able to assist her siblings.

During her upbringing in India, Mary Lennox became a bad tempered and unhappy child due to her having been who neglected by her affluent British parents.

Upon the death of her parents, Mary is returned to England, where she is given to the guardianship of her reclusive widower uncle, Archibald Craven.

Mary soon learns about the various painful past occurrences in the Craven family, and meets her cousin, Colin, who due to his closely resembling his deceased mother is now ignored by his grieving father, who has neglected every reminder of his beloved wife.

The discovery of her dead aunt’s secret garden interests the children in returning the garden to its former glory, and as they repair the garden, they too become healed and happier.

The author is said to have believed in Christian Science, and this story is about the rejuvenation of the human spirit through nature, kindness, and belief in purpose.

The only novel by Harper Lee, it tells of the childhood experiences of Jem and Scout Finch as they grow up in Alabama during the 1930s.

Raised by there educated widow father, the children are puzzled by some of the biases of their community, and yet, they themselves hold certain prejudices about their unmet reclusive neighbor, Boo Radley, who will eventually assist them.

P.G. Wodehouse is said to have written fairytales for grown-ups, depicting a comical world of inter-war upper-class Brits, but his books are neither fairytales or restricted to any age group.

His best known character is the valet Jeeves, who seems to know almost everything and repeatedly proves capable of freeing his young master, Bertram Wooster from both unwanted betrothals and sticky situations.

“Very Good, Jeeves” is a collection of short stories about the wise servant and his dithering employer, inhabiting the Wodehouse world of iron-willed aunts, determined young women, and brainless male graduates of Oxford and Cambridge.

The characters of Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends were originally created by Milne as the main characters of bedtime stories he told his young son, Christopher Robin.

The characters were based on the childhood toy animals of Christopher Robin Milne.

Often called Pooh Bear, Pooh is a fluffy headed and goodhearted teddy bear, who loves honey and who often gets into bother.

His friends include the gentle pig Piglet, the hyperactive tiger Tigger, and the generally depressed donkey Eeyore, among others.

The copyright of the article R-W Twentieth Century Children's Literature in Children’s Books is owned by M.L. Costa. Permission to republish R-W Twentieth Century Children's Literature in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.