of author activists. Nonfiction’s metacognitive strategies thus awaken consciousness for both individual children and their communities.
NOTES
1 1 A French philosopher of the mind, Helvétius credits chance events with molding character in his picaresque novel Child of Nature: Improved by Chance. Ellenor Fenn describes nursery activities that teach through “the education of each moment” (Immel 1997).
2 2 Popular examples: Fanny Umphelby, The Child’s Guide to Knowledge (ca. 1828); William Pinnock’s catechisms; Richmal Magnall’s Miscellaneous Questions for the Use of Young People (1800). Many are titled “Common Things”.
3 3 Fairy science books include Lucy Rider Meyer’s Real Fairy Folds, or Fair Land of Chemistry (1887) by American physician, social worker, and educator Lucy Rider Meyer; Fairy Know-a-Bit, Or, A Nutshell of Knowledge (1866) and its sequel, Fairy Frisket, Or, Peeps at Insect Life (1871) by A.L.O.E. (Charlotte Maria Tucker).
4 4 For biographies of women writers in science, see Alteri et al. (n.d.).
5 5 Other books take a page from Robinson Crusoe, with children who secure basic needs in an isolated country setting: Agnes Strickland’s The Moss-House: A Tale (1822); Sarah Lee’s Playing at Settlers (1854).
6 6 See the forthcoming collection of essays from Children’s Literature Association’s Centennial Studies Series on The Brownies’ Book by Dianne Johnson-Feelings and Jonda C. McNair, as well as the special issue of The Lion and the Unicorn 43 (2) (April 2019) edited by Katharine Capshaw and Michelle H. Martin.
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