Picture Book History 101: Orbis Pictus



As I find myself trailing deeper down the picture book rabbit hole (pun intended), I realized I should brush up on the history of picture books.  Many of us are familiar with Beatrix Potter’s books as being some of the first widely popular children’s picture books (and the source of many cute Easter decorations); however, what the first children’s picture book is may be less common knowledge.


Today, I bring to you this factoid: Orbis Pictus.  Credited with being the first children’s textbook with pictures, Orbis Pictus was printed in German and Latin in 1658.  It covers more academic topics, like zoology and religion, than many of the cheeky stories we read today.  But *gasp* it’s like someone finally figured out that children are very visual!

You can check out a complete version here: archive.org/details/johamoscommeniio00come/page/n1

Thank you, Gutenberg, and thank you, John Amos Comenius!









#AnitaVP #first #picturebook #readmore #tuesdaythoughts #factoid

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