How did Gulliver’s Travels influence later books for children?

Although Gulliver’s Travels (1726) was originally written by Jonathan Swift as a biting satire for adults, it was not intended for children. Despite this, the book became a foundational work in the history of children’s literature.123

Its influence on later children's books is characterized by the following:

• Early Adoption: The novel was quickly abridged and bowdlerized (expurgated) to make it suitable for younger readers, who seized upon the narrative for its imaginative scope.2
• Genre Progeny: Along with Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, Gulliver’s Travels fathered an immense progeny in the children’s field. It helped establish the popularity of adventure-based travel narratives that captured the imaginations of young readers who were otherwise often subjected to strictly didactic or moralistic texts.2
• Enduring Appeal: The book’s vivid descriptions of fantastical lands—such as the home of the tiny Lilliputians and the giants of Brobdingnag—provided a template for imaginative storytelling that continues to be adapted in family-oriented media today.13

Ultimately, the book demonstrated that children could find their own "nourishment" in complex literature, even when the original intent was far removed from their education or entertainment.2