Show OLD BOOKS FOR CHILDREN Writing Was Covered With Sheet of Horn to Protect Lettering From i Dirty Fingers The earliest English book for children children children chil chil- dren was The Babies' Babies Book or a Report of How Young People Should Behave The horn books exIsted existed existed ex ex- ex- ex isted in Elizabeths Elizabeth's reign The Tho writing writing writ writ- ing lug was covered with a sheet of horn hornin in order to protect the lettering from contact with dirty fingers The chap book contained most of the familiar famUlar nursery rhymes and stories stories stories sto sto- ries which have appertained to nursery nursery nursery nurs nurs- ery lore for generations They exhibit very crude woodcuts often daubed with Inappropriate color and the commonest paper as a rule was used They were hawked about by the chapmen chapmen chapmen chap chap- men or and cost only a few pence apiece They served to perpetuate such familiar familiar fa fa- fa ditties as Sing a Song of Sixpence Sixpence Sixpence Six Six- pence which dates from the sixteenth sixteenth sixteenth six six- century Three Blind Mice In use with music In 1609 The Frog and the Mouse In existence In 1580 1550 and Girls and Boys Come Out Outto Outto Outto to Play which was sung by the villagers villagers vil vII lagers In the time of at Charles II IL Little Jack Horner we know la Is older ulder than the seventeenth century and last but least not Lucy Locket the tune from which originated Yankee Yankee Yankee Yan kee Doodle A few o ot of what were called battledore battledore battle battledore dore books have been handed down downto to us They were three leaved cards which were folded up into oblong pocked shaped pieces These taught reading and numerals In the dame I schools In town and country The littie little lit lit- tle tie gilt books as they were called adorned on the outside with gilt Dutch paper colored flowers were much prized gift books of that period According to the Queen children were employed coloring such picture books booles by hand one child doing all the red In th the series of illustrations another another an other all the blue and so on Of ot course couise they gained precision by repetition repe titian but we very often find the tints overlapping as If carried out by an Inexperienced hand |