Fascinating concepts! From my American perspective, British cultural influence never waned in the arena of children's literature. My younger years were saturated with British conceptions of childhood—Winnie the Pooh, The Wind in the Willows, Alice in Wonderland, Beatrix Potter, Little Grey Rabbit. There doesn't seem to be any American classic kids' literature at all comparable; I would argue that the American idea of a peaceful, happy, rural childhood of innocence and wonder is actually an British idea.
I remember reading somewhere that it was only somewhere around the Victorian era that the concept of childhood (as opposed to just treating children like miniature adults) was really established, and that may explain the high quantity of quite popular post-war kid's books from the UK. I would argue that although they're not really kids literature, both Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer represent distinctly American ideas of childhood - rugged individualism and independence in childish form - that feel quite different to Beatrix Potter or Alice in Wonderland though.....
Fascinating concepts! From my American perspective, British cultural influence never waned in the arena of children's literature. My younger years were saturated with British conceptions of childhood—Winnie the Pooh, The Wind in the Willows, Alice in Wonderland, Beatrix Potter, Little Grey Rabbit. There doesn't seem to be any American classic kids' literature at all comparable; I would argue that the American idea of a peaceful, happy, rural childhood of innocence and wonder is actually an British idea.
I remember reading somewhere that it was only somewhere around the Victorian era that the concept of childhood (as opposed to just treating children like miniature adults) was really established, and that may explain the high quantity of quite popular post-war kid's books from the UK. I would argue that although they're not really kids literature, both Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer represent distinctly American ideas of childhood - rugged individualism and independence in childish form - that feel quite different to Beatrix Potter or Alice in Wonderland though.....