Printing for Children: A History

Before 1744, there was no such thing as a children's book — children simply read whatever adults read, or nothing at all. One London bookseller changed that with a single, cleverly marketed little book, and the idea that print could be made specifically for children has been growing ever since.

1744: The First Children's Book

John Newbery's A Little Pretty Pocket-Book, published in London in June 1744, is widely credited as the first book made specifically for children rather than adults. It combined simple alphabet rhymes with games, wrapped in a genuinely inventive marketing gimmick: buyers could add a ball for a boy or a pincushion for a girl, to be used in a simple good-behaviour game the book described. It's a very early example of a printed product designed around a child's actual experience, not just simplified adult content.

From Chapbooks to Picture Books

Before Newbery, children's reading material was mostly limited to hornbooks (a single printed sheet of letters and prayers) and chapbooks — cheap, roughly printed pamphlets sold by travelling pedlars. After Newbery proved there was a market, children's publishing grew steadily through the 18th and 19th centuries, helped enormously by chromolithography, which finally made bright, affordable colour illustration possible and turned the picture book into its own category.

What Made Newbery's Approach Work

The lasting lesson from 1744 isn't really about books — it's about print made specifically for a child, rather than adapted from something else. Newbery understood that children's printed material needed to be designed around them: their size, their interests, their sense of fun, not simply a smaller version of an adult product.

The Same Idea, In Fabric

That's exactly the thinking behind personalised children's clothing and gifts today. A printed t-shirt with a child's own name, a matching family Christmas outfit sized for a toddler, or a Year 6 leavers hoodie marking the end of primary school are all the modern continuation of the same idea Newbery had: printed material that's genuinely made for a child, not just scaled down from something for adults.

Where This Shows Up in What We Print

We print kids' sizes from age 3 through to 16 across our full clothing range, including matching family Christmas outfits sized for the whole family and school leavers hoodies for Year 6 children moving up to secondary school. Every child's name, nickname or size is handled individually, at no extra cost over a standard print.

Frequently asked questions

What was the first children's book?

John Newbery's A Little Pretty Pocket-Book, published in London in 1744, is widely credited as the first book made specifically for children.

How was the first children's book marketed?

It was sold with an optional ball for a boy or pincushion for a girl, used in a simple good-behaviour game the book described — an early example of a printed product designed around a child's actual experience.