Figure 1.--.
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Figure 1.--. |
Most early children's books were imported from the United Kingdom. Australian boys read all of the English classic books for boys like A.A. Milne's Winnie The Pooh with Christoher Robin and J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan. There were also children's books published in Australia. I'm not sure what the first such books were. An Australian reader mentions
Little Folks (1897). After World War II (1939-45), American childrens books were increasingly read. A HBC reader remembers reading a series of American primary school books. There were Little Golden Books which are still around today. The Adelaide Prima was similar to the Wide Range Reader series of books. Some especially nice books were: The New Target Book For Boys, The Wonder Book, The Great Australian Childrens Book, and Our Boys Gift Book. here were also magazines for children. An Australian reader recalls: My Magazine. As in the U.K., boys' annuals were popular. A reader remembers: Eagle Annual, Tiger Annual, The Schoolboys Annual, and Blackies Boys Annual. The Schoolboys Annual was published into the 1970s, but as in the U.K. declined in popularity by the 1980s. There were also Paton books. Foreign comic books were also very popular.
Australia was a founded as a British colony. Infact it was an important penal colony to which convicts nit hanged were transported. Even so, until recently many Australians would refer to England as home. A few older Australians still do. As Australian has a relatively small populations and basic institutions wre still forming in the 19th centurty, most early children's books were imported from the United Kingdom. Australian boys read all of the English classic books for boys like A.A. Milne's Winnie The Pooh with Christoher Robin and J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan. There were also children's books published in Australia. I'm not sure what the first such books were. An Australian reader mentions
Little Folks (1897). After World War II (1939-45), American childrens books were increasingly read. A HBC reader remembers reading a series of American primary school books. There were Little Golden Books which are still around today. An Australian reader writes, "I have two Asterix video's in English and I actually read them via books avidly at primary school and I got into those wonderful Tin Tin books which I have seen on television also in English. I can remember reading them and those wonderful adventure provoking English Boys Own Annuals on a many occasions on lazy and hazy hot summer afternoons."
The Adelaide Prima was similar to the Wide Range Reader series of books. Some especially nice books were: The New Target Book For Boys, The Wonder Book, The Great Australian Childrens Book, and Our Boys Gift Book. here were also magazines for children. An Australian reader recalls: My Magazine.
As in the U.K., boys' annuals were popular. A reader remembers: Eagle Annual, Tiger Annual, The Schoolboys Annual, and Blackies Boys Annual. The Schoolboys Annual was published into the 1970s, but as in the U.K. declined in popularity by the 1980s. There were also Paton books. Foreign comic books were also very popular. A HBC reader tells us, "I read lots of American Marvel comic magazines (called comic books in Ameica) plus several English ones such as Beano. I also read some Ffench ones as well. The English Doctor Who Magazine magazine which came out monthly was one of my favorites. I also read the Harvet cartoons, Disney, and Star Wars. Superheroes and the great Marvel comics were a delight. I bought mine from a comics or book store or local news agency." Another reader writes, "I loved the Little Golden Books, Wide Range Readers, and the Adelaide Prima too. I could relate to those child charactors Dick and Dora and Jack, plus Nip the dog and Fluff the cat."
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