Kilner, Dorothy. The History of a Great Many Little Boys and Girls.Keene, N.H.: John Prentiss, 1807.
English author Dorothy Kilner (1755-1836) targeted these stories specifically to young readers between the ages of four and five. Although her audience is young, Kilner’s subjects are very serious: one young boy who refuses to wear clothes is beaten by a neighbor until he consents to getting dressed; in another story, a mother calmly explains to her daughter the choice between eating inexpensive milk porridge and wearing a sturdy stuff gown, and drinking costly tea every day and wearing rags. This edition is not recorded in the Checklist of American Imprints or d’Alte Welch’s Bibliography of American Children’s Books Printed Prior to 1821, and we are delighted to have it.
