The status of American children at the beginning of the eighteenth century was so insignificant that writers apologized for wasting their talents on the subject and physicians seldom condescended to prescribe for them. the Changing attitude toward the child since then, however, can be classed as one of the great revolutions of history.
In this volume Monica Kiefer traces the development of various phases of child life, including religion, manners and morals, education, health and recreation, through an analysis of children's books from 1700 to 1835, which year marked the beginning of a trend fostering a view of life more benign and worldly than the previous era of extreme pietism.