A Little Pretty Pocket-Book

work by Newbery

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 30, 2026

Quick Summary

A Little Pretty Pocket-Book, published in 1744 by John Newbery, is considered a landmark in the history of children's literature in England. Unlike earlier didactic works, this book was intended for children's entertainment rather than strict education. Newbery's publishing house was one of the first to focus on children's books, marking a significant shift in the field. This work is often cited as a starting point for children's literature as a distinct genre.123

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

3 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

baseball
Origin
…in John Newbery’s children’s book A Little Pretty Pocket-Book. The book has a brief poem and an illustration depicting a game called base-ball. Interestingly, the bases in the illustration are marked by posts instead of the bags and flat home plate now so familiar in the game. The book was…
Read More
…in John Newbery’s children’s book A Little Pretty Pocket-Book. The book has a brief poem and an illustration depicting a game called base-ball. Interestingly, the bases in the illustration are marked by posts instead of the bags and flat home plate now so familiar in the game. The book was…
Read More

children’s literature
From T.W. to Alice (1712?–1865)
In 1744 he published A Little Pretty Pocket-Book. Its ragbag of contents—pictures of children’s games, jingles, fables, “an agreeable Letter to read from Jack the Giant Killer,” plus a bonus in the form of “a Ball and a Pincushion”—are of interest only because, addressing itself single-mindedly to a child…
Read More
In 1744 he published A Little Pretty Pocket-Book. Its ragbag of contents—pictures of children’s games, jingles, fables, “an agreeable Letter to read from Jack the Giant Killer,” plus a bonus in the form of “a Ball and a Pincushion”—are of interest only because, addressing itself single-mindedly to a child…
Read More