And they admitted,
that the first children's book was written in 1658! Its author is none other than Jan Amos Kamensky himself, an outstanding Czech teacher and writer. He was concerned about education, especially children, so he wrote a treatise with illustrations and called it " Orbis Sensualium Pictus ", which in Latin means "The Visible World in Pictures".
The word “treatise,” by the way, was a common form of literary work at that time, in which the author tried to explore something from the point of view of science or religion.
The phrase "Visible World" in the title of the book suggests that at that time the entire globe had not yet been explored.
The publication of this work was of great importance for science and pedagogy. The book was translated into many languages and became the most popular textbook in Europe.
To make the book interesting and light, the prominent educator Yan Amosov Kamensky began it with a story about a boy who seeks to gain knowledge. The story is told from the perspective of a teacher who tells the young student about philosophy, theology, biology, and other sciences.
Check out the selection of the best modern children's books in the Children's Literature section.