Tiny Feet: A Treasury for Parents; An Anthology

Child, the author and illustrator of the classic series of “Charlie and Lola” picture books, gives a brief history of ideals around parenting. The anthology is arranged chronologically from Daniel Burgess, a Presbyterian preacher during the Puritan era, to Bernardine Evaristo, the first Black woman to win the Booker Prize. The short writings about children, dating as far back as 300 years ago, provide a glimpse into the varying thoughts and philosophies of parenthood and child-rearing that have developed and shaped America’s history. Notable authors include Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Charles Darwin, Robert Louis Stevenson, Maria Montessori, Margaret Mead, Benjamin Spock, and Toni Morrison. According to the book, many modern ideas about parenting stemmed from the past. For example, Rousseau was a proponent of breastfeeding and a natural approach to parenting. Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi sought to make school more like home, with a pupil of his starting the first kindergarten.