Since the 18th century, children's literature has been held responsible for entertaining children of all ages across the world. But when you think about it, what is children's literature? The term seems quite easy to define, it is literature aimed at children, but what is the definition of literature? According to Charlotte Huck (2010), literature is an imaginative shaping of life and thought in the forms and structures of language. This is, in my opinion, an excellent definition to use because children's literature is constantly evolving. From older literature, including songs and stories told orally, to more modern thematic children's literature told from newer books and now even computers, it is easy to say that the historical perspectives and trends of Children's literature continues to change over time. The most common way to tell a story is to read the words in a book. Many, many years ago this was not the case due to lack of publications. Instead, individuals took it upon themselves to tell their stories orally. These stories were often called "folklore", "popular literature" or "mythology". Many of these stories were considered myths or false. However, literary study shows that myths are not false, but simply stories in a generalized sense that express the truth about human beings (2010). The children also heard many religious stories and lessons. As written literature was formed and the printing press was invented, these religious stories and lessons were the first to be told through pictures inserted into Bibles and textbooks to facilitate children's understanding . For centuries, the oral tradition has been as popular as the more modern written tradition...... middle of paper ...... map on e-books now. Libraries also offer study groups and book clubs so children can discuss the stories they read with other children and adults. As the years go by and as long as we still have books, more topics will be covered and more children will learn because I truly believe that you never stop learning if you never stop reading. Works Cited Dreier, Peter. (2011). The Progressive Politics of Dr. Suess. Pages 28 to 47. Hucks, Charlotte. (2010). Children's literature by Charlotte Huck. https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/0077771656/pages/53128500Hucks, Charlotte. (2010). Historical information. ^ Mickenberg, Julia L. (2005). Learning from the Left: Children's Literature, the Cold War, and Radical Politics in the United States