This book draws on original material and approaches from the developing fields of the history of emotions and childhood studies and brings together scholars from history, literature and cultural studies, to reappraise how the early modern world reacted to the deaths of children. Child death was the great equaliser of the early modern period, affecting people of all ages and conditions. It is well recognised that the deaths of children struck at the heart of early modern families, yet less known is the variety of ways that not only parents, but siblings, communities and even nations, responded to childhood death. The contributors to this volume ask what emotional responses to child death tell us about childhood and the place of children in society. Placing children and their voices at the heart of this investigation, they track how emotional norms, values, and practices shifted across the fifteenth to nineteenth centuries through different religious, legal and national traditions. This collection demonstrates that child death was not just a family matter, but integral to how communities and societies defined themselves. Chapter 5 of this book is available open access under a CC BY 4.0 license at link.springer.com.

Sebastian and Viola cause all sorts of trouble when they switch places in the romantic comedy Twelfth Night. Learn the history of the most famous Roman emperor of all when you enter Julius Caesar's world of treachery and murder. Leontes' jealousy loses him his family and his mind. Can he find his way out of the darkness in The Winter's Tale? Shakespeare Stories allows children to discover the delights of the Bard in these three prose retellings. TreeTops Greatest Stories offers children some of the worlds best-loved tales in a collection of timeless classics. Top children's authors and talented illustrators work together to bring to life our literary heritage for a new generation, engaging and delighting children. The books are carefully levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book. Each book contains inside cover notes to help children explore the content, supporting their reading development. Teaching notes on Oxford Owl offer cross-curricular links and activities to support guided reading, writing, speaking and listening.

This beautifully illustrated story is an adaptation of the Welsh legend of Cantre'r Gwaelod, the lost area of Wales which disappeared beneath the sea. This drowned land was once a pleasant and prosperous kingdom, its low-lying fields protected from the waves by a high sea wall. But only Mererid, the storm child, knows that the tide-gates are failing and the next storm will breach the wall. As clouds and ravens gather overhead, she must race to save her friends and the kingdom before it's too late... TreeTops Greatest Stories offers children some of the world's best-loved tales in a collection of timeless classics. Top children's authors and talented illustrators work together to bring to life our literary heritage for a new generation, engaging and delighting children. The books are carefully levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book. Each book contains inside cover notes to help children explore the content, supporting their reading development. Teaching notes on Oxford Owl offer cross-curricular links and activities to support guided reading, writing, speaking and listening.

From the moment that he meets an escaped convict in a dark and lonely graveyard, Pip's life becomes a myriad of unanswered questions.What is Miss Havisham's hidden secret? Why is the beautiful Estella so cruel? Who is his mysterious benefactor? This fabulous interpretation introduces children to some of Dickens' best-known characters, bound together with haunting illustrations. TreeTops Greatest Stories offers children some of the worlds best-loved tales in a collection of timeless classics. Top children's authors and talented illustrators work together to bring to life our literary heritage for a new generation, engaging and delighting children. The books are carefully levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book. Each book contains inside cover notes to help children explore the content, supporting their reading development. Teaching notes on Oxford Owl offer cross-curricular links and activities to support guided reading, writing, speaking and listening.

Catherine thinks her story is a dramatic one, but it's actually more of a comedy. She longs for adventure and romance, just like in her favourite novels, and can't wait to visit Northanger Abbey where she's sure to uncover a sinister mystery or two... A skilful adaptation of Austen's classic satire of Gothic novels, with all the wry humour of the original and a naively charming heroine to fall in love with. TreeTops Greatest Stories offers children some of the world's best-loved tales in a collection of timeless classics. Top children's authors and talented illustrators work together to bring to life our literary heritage for a new generation, engaging and delighting children. The books are carefully levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book. Each book contains inside cover notes to help children explore the content, supporting their reading development. Teaching notes on Oxford Owl offer cross-curricular links and activities to support guided reading, writing, speaking and listening.

Elizabeth Laird retells a beautiful set of folk stories from East Africa and the Middle East. These stories in this collection have travelled across countries, survived through centuries, been retold by generations and have found their way into this book. They are stories of tricks and jokes, leopards and goats, heroes and fools, sorrows and joys - each one of them a perfectly formed gem. TreeTops Greatest Stories offers children some of the world's best-loved tales in a collection of timeless classics. Top children's authors and talented illustrators work together to bring to life our literary heritage for a new generation, engaging and delighting children. The books are carefully levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book. Each book contains inside cover notes to help children explore the content, supporting their reading development. Teaching notes on Oxford Owl offer cross-curricular links and activities to support guided reading, writing, speaking and listening.

Sometimes we kill the whale. Sometimes the whaling kills us.When Ishmael joins the crew of the Pequod he is told of the danger he faces, but he still longs for the adventure that whale-hunting brings. As the ship travels the globe looking for its prey, Ishmael realises that there is more to their mission than oil, blubber and riches. Captain Ahab is a man consumed by obsession, but will he ever find the elusive Moby Dick? This tale beautifully depicts the power and mystery of the magnificent whale, and the trials of those who seek to harm him. TreeTops Greatest Stories offers children some of the worlds best-loved tales in a collection of timeless classics. Top children's authors and talented illustrators work together to bring to life our literary heritage for a new generation, engaging and delighting children. The books are carefully levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book. Each book contains inside cover notes to help children explore the content, supporting their reading development. Teaching notes on Oxford Owl offer cross-curricular links and activities to support guided reading, writing, speaking and listening.

Matchmaking Emma thinks she is quite the expert when it comes to love; setting up her friends is her favourite pastime. But sometimes her interfering doesn't get her the results she wants! With all the dashing young men in her life, will Emma ever stop to think about what might be inside her own heart? Austen's classic and much-loved tale is marvellously retold, bringing with it all the drama and intrigue of Regency life. TreeTops Greatest Stories offers children some of the worlds best-loved tales in a collection of timeless classics. Top children's authors and talented illustrators work together to bring to life our literary heritage for a new generation, engaging and delighting children. The books are carefully levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book. Each book contains inside cover notes to help children explore the content, supporting their reading development. Teaching notes on Oxford Owl offer cross-curricular links and activities to support guided reading, writing, speaking and listening.

In Grimms' fairy tales, things are not always as they seem ... An evil stepmother casts one spell too many in Little Brother and Little Sister. Can the Goose Girl prove her royal heritage and claim her husband? Of three sons, only one truly loves his father, but he must struggle to prove his loyalty in The Water of Life. A king promises his children to animals of the wild but is there more to these creatures than meets the eye? These four fairy tales and their stunning illustrations will capture and enchant children's imaginations. TreeTops Greatest Stories offers children some of the worlds best-loved tales in a collection of timeless classics. Top children's authors and talented illustrators work together to bring to life our literary heritage for a new generation, engaging and delighting children. The books are carefully levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book. Each book contains inside cover notes to help children explore the content, supporting their reading development. Teaching notes on Oxford Owl offer cross-curricular links and activities to support guided reading, writing, speaking and listening.

The literary scene in the 1890s changed rapidly, with 'serious' writers defining themselves against popular fiction and that read by women and children. As modernist influences changed the style and concerns of adult fiction, many areas of publishing for children seemed determined to uphold traditional class and gender roles and to perpetuate a strong sense of national loyalty. During the twentieth century, however, a rise in secularism, new political, cultural and scientific theories and the emergence of youth culture expanded the range of issues and attitudes found in children's books. This updated version of Children's Literature in the 1890s and 1990s, reflects on these changes and how they have helped to shape the new century. It includes a revised and expanded bibliography.

If a shard of the magic mirror enters your eye, you become a servant of the cold-hearted Snow Queen, doomed to a life of ice and snow. At least, that's what the storybook says ... and surely it can't be true? But when her best friend Kai disappears without a trace, Gerda begins to suspect that this mysterious Snow Queen might be to blame. Travelling through the seasons to find him, will Gerda be able to discover the truth and can her warm heart keep her safe in the frozen north? TreeTops Greatest Stories offers children some of the worlds best-loved tales in a collection of timeless classics. Top children's authors and talented illustrators work together to bring to life our literary heritage for a new generation, engaging and delighting children. The books are carefully levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book. Each book contains inside cover notes to help children explore the content, supporting their reading development. Teaching notes on Oxford Owl offer cross-curricular links and activities to support guided reading, writing, speaking and listening.

Kimberley Reynolds and Nicola Humble here provide a radical revision of Victorian constructions of femininity. Using a wide range of textual examples (including children's literature, sensations fiction, diaries, and autobiography) as well as visual illustrations, Victorian Heroines offers a new look at the representation of women and sexuality in nineteenth-century literature and painting.

Arguing against the conventional dyadic model that interprets Victorian fiction in terms of a rigid distinction between the good and bad, the sexual and asexual woman, the authors suggest a more complex paradigm, simultaneously concealing and revealing contradictory attitudes to Victorian womanhood.

The book explores the highly erotic fantasy elements frequently found in widely disseminated orthodox female images, and effectively demonstrates how both male and female writers used similar techniques to subvert this orthodoxy. Drawing on contemporary critical and cultural theories, "Victorian Heroines" is a lucid and accessible analysis of the depiction of women during this period, challenging the prevalent views of recent decades.

Till Owlglass can paint pictures that only those of noble birth are able to see ... or at least, that's what he tells the pompous Count! Anansi, the naughty spider, puts his tricks to good use when his friend Antelope is in trouble. Brer Rabbit outfoxes the fox when he finds himself stuck in a well! Three lovable tricksters are brought together in this collection of stories from around the world. TreeTops Greatest Stories offers children some of the worlds best-loved tales in a collection of timeless classics. Top children's authors and talented illustrators work together to bring to life our literary heritage for a new generation, engaging and delighting children. The books are carefully levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book. Each book contains inside cover notes to help children explore the content, supporting their reading development. Teaching notes on Oxford Owl offer cross-curricular links and activities to support guided reading, writing, speaking and listening.

Henry Fleming just wants to be a hero. So when he gets the chance to fight in the American Civil War he signs up right away. But out on the battlefield it's a long way from home, and the reality of war is not as romantic as he thought. When you're doomed if you fight and doomed if you run, what's a man to do? Henry doesn't want to be a coward, but sometimes courage is the hardest thing to find. Follow him on his journey of discovery, where the boundaries of right and wrong are not so easy to see. TreeTops Greatest Stories offers children some of the worlds best-loved tales in a collection of timeless classics. Top children's authors and talented illustrators work together to bring to life our literary heritage for a new generation, engaging and delighting children. The books are carefully levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book. Each book contains inside cover notes to help children explore the content, supporting their reading development. Teaching notes on Oxford Owl offer cross-curricular links and activities to support guided reading, writing, speaking and listening.

Scheherazade must use her wits to save her from death. Every night for one thousand and one nights, she weaves captivating tales of genies, lamps, flying horses and sorcery, transporting the reader into magical and lavishly illustrated worlds. Will her honeyed words be enough to sweeten the mood of the angry king? TreeTops Greatest Stories offers children some of the worlds best-loved tales in a collection of timeless classics. Top children's authors and talented illustrators work together to bring to life our literary heritage for a new generation, engaging and delighting children. The books are carefully levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book. Each book contains inside cover notes to help children explore the content, supporting their reading development. Teaching notes on Oxford Owl offer cross-curricular links and activities to support guided reading, writing, speaking and listening.

When a girl is sent to find a well at the end of the world, simple acts of kindness lead her to more than she expects. A lost daughter captures the heart of a prince, but will she be reunited with her father? An unfortunate girl is given not one, but two impossible tasks to spin straw into gold, and to guess the name of an unknown creature. The girls will have to use their hearts, charms and wits to find solutions to their problems. TreeTops Greatest Stories offers children some of the worlds best-loved tales in a collection of timeless classics. Top children's authors and talented illustrators work together to bring to life our literary heritage for a new generation, engaging and delighting children. The books are carefully levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book. Each book contains inside cover notes to help children explore the content, supporting their reading development. Teaching notes on Oxford Owl offer cross-curricular links and activities to support guided reading, writing, speaking and listening.

The peaceful town of Hamelin is overrun with rats: they are raiding larders, hiding in cupboards, sneaking into bed linen and driving the locals to despair. Desperate for help, they turn to the mysterious Pied Piper who promises a solution. But when the Piper falls out with the mayor, he takes away more than the townspeople ever expected. A wonderfully vivid interpretation of the story, which tackles trust, pride and revenge. TreeTops Greatest Stories offers children some of the worlds best-loved tales in a collection of timeless classics. Top children's authors and talented illustrators work together to bring to life our literary heritage for a new generation, engaging and delighting children. The books are carefully levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book. Each book contains inside cover notes to help children explore the content, supporting their reading development. Teaching notes on Oxford Owl offer cross-curricular links and activities to support guided reading, writing, speaking and listening.

When a father can't decide who should wed his daughter, Jacob makes a dangerous pact to ensure that he can marry Gretchen. Should a father have a favourite child? An African dilemma puts the question another way. A wise judge concocts a plan to reveal who really is guilty in a tale from China. This varied collection from around the word is complemented with fabulous illustrations which children will love. TreeTops Greatest Stories offers children some of the worlds best-loved tales in a collection of timeless classics. Top children's authors and talented illustrators work together to bring to life our literary heritage for a new generation, engaging and delighting children. The books are carefully levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book. Each book contains inside cover notes to help children explore the content, supporting their reading development. Teaching notes on Oxford Owl offer cross-curricular links and activities to support guided reading, writing, speaking and listening.

Welcome to nineteenth-century France, where a wrong word or look can get you thrown in jail. When Edmond is imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit, he thinks his life is over. But while he is there he gets word of treasure hidden in a place called Monte Cristo ... Can he escape and reverse his fortunes? In this tale full of deception, disguise and revenge, you never quite know who you can trust. Alexandre Dumas' masterpiece is recreated to inspire a new generation of readers. TreeTops Greatest Stories offers children some of the worlds best-loved tales in a collection of timeless classics. Top children's authors and talented illustrators work together to bring to life our literary heritage for a new generation, engaging and delighting children. The books are carefully levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book. Each book contains inside cover notes to help children explore the content, supporting their reading development. Teaching notes on Oxford Owl offer cross-curricular links and activities to support guided reading, writing, speaking and listening.

Bukolla is a very beautiful brown cow, so when she goes missing Frida cannot return home without her. But up in the mountains, she discovers that Bukolla isn't only good for making milk ... Can this clever beast use her magical powers to outwit a pair of devious trolls? Children will fall in love with this story with its engaging rhymes and vivid illustrations. TreeTops Greatest Stories offers children some of the worlds best-loved tales in a collection of timeless classics. Top children's authors and talented illustrators work together to bring to life our literary heritage for a new generation, engaging and delighting children. The books are carefully levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book. Each book contains inside cover notes to help children explore the content, supporting their reading development. Teaching notes on Oxford Owl offer cross-curricular links and activities to support guided reading, writing, speaking and listening.

Geppetto the puppet-maker is overjoyed when he brings Pinocchio to life he has always wanted a son! But this little wooden boy is always getting himself into trouble with his bad decisions. Will he ever learn to use his brain and understand the difference between right and wrong? Carlo Collodi's original story is wonderfully retold complete with all its darkness and danger. TreeTops Greatest Stories offers children some of the worlds best-loved tales in a collection of timeless classics. Top children's authors and talented illustrators work together to bring to life our literary heritage for a new generation, engaging and delighting children. The books are carefully levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book. Each book contains inside cover notes to help children explore the content, supporting their reading development. Teaching notes on Oxford Owl offer cross-curricular links and activities to support guided reading, writing, speaking and listening.

Children's literature takes many forms - works adapted for children in antiquity, picture books and pop-ups - and now includes the latest online games and eBooks. This vast and amorphous subject is both intimately related to other areas of literary and cultural investigation but also has its own set of concerns, issues and challenges. From familiar authors including Beatrix Potter and Roald Dahl, classic books such as Pooh, Alice in Wonderland, and The Secret Garden, to modern works including Harry Potter and the Twilight series, thisVery Short Introduction provides an overview of the history of children's literature as it has developed in English, whilst at the same time introducing key debates, developments, and figures in the field. Raising questions about what shape the future of literature for children should take, and exploring the crossover with adult fiction, Reynolds shows that writing for children - whether on page or screen - has participated in shaping and directing ideas about culture, society and childhood. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

This thrilling tale is adapted from Shahnameh, the epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi in the 10th century. Rostam is the mightiest hero who has ever lived, and Rakhsh is his faithful horse - as strong as his master and quite a bit cleverer too. They have fought the fiercest creatures and most hideous monsters, but might have finally met their match... TreeTops Greatest Stories offers children some of the world's best-loved tales in a collection of timeless classics. Top children's authors and talented illustrators work together to bring to life our literary heritage for a new generation, engaging and delighting children. The books are carefully levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book. Each book contains inside cover notes to help children explore the content, supporting their reading development. Teaching notes on Oxford Owl offer cross-curricular links and activities to support guided reading, writing, speaking and listening.

If you are greedy, you might lose out on the good things you already have ... One good turn deserves another ... Be careful if you trick someone because they might trick you back. Maybe the animals in the stories should have listened to these wise words! Aesop's ancient fables are brilliantly retold with vibrant illustrations. TreeTops Greatest Stories offers children some of the worlds best-loved tales in a collection of timeless classics. Top children's authors and talented illustrators work together to bring to life our literary heritage for a new generation, engaging and delighting children. The books are carefully levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book. Each book contains inside cover notes to help children explore the content, supporting their reading development. Teaching notes on Oxford Owl offer cross-curricular links and activities to support guided reading, writing, speaking and listening.

What are stories for? Well, let the storyteller show you ... the North Wind and the Sun compete to find out who is better, proving that kindness is better than anger. Can a crocodile and a monkey help solve an argument between friends? Allow children to escape into another world and discover the power of stories for themselves. TreeTops Greatest Stories offers children some of the worlds best-loved tales in a collection of timeless classics. Top children's authors and talented illustrators work together to bring to life our literary heritage for a new generation, engaging and delighting children. The books are carefully levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book. Each book contains inside cover notes to help children explore the content, supporting their reading development. Teaching notes on Oxford Owl offer cross-curricular links and activities to support guided reading, writing, speaking and listening.