The Enormous Egg

The development of children’s literature can largely be traced to the 18th century, when changing philosophies began to better acknowledge the distinction between childhood and adulthood. In crediting childhood as a unique stage of life, writers could tailor their works to better engage children’s attention. Most of these early texts were instructional, relying on children’s aptitude for play, rather than fear, to introduce formative concepts (Fleming, Patrick C. “The Rise of the Moral Tale: Children’s Literature, the Novel, and ‘The Governess.’” Eighteenth-Century Studies, vol. 46, no. 4, 2013, pp. 463-77). For instance, John Newbery’s A Little Pretty Pocket-Book, published in 1744, is commonly credited as the first children’s book. Its rhymes and pictures illustrated basic letters of the alphabet, while its simple games reinforced positive behavior. 

However, though groundbreaking in its approach to children’s entertainment, A Little Pretty Pocket-Book was still primarily intended to impart a lesson in manners. It wasn’t until the beginning of literature’s Romantic Era in the 19th century that literature directly engaged with children’s capacity for imagination (Pinkerton, Byrd. “Through The Looking Glass: How Children’s Books Have Grown Up.” NPR, 10 May 2016). A significant example is Lewis B. Carroll’s 1865 fantasy novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Lauded for its characters, imagery, and narrative structure, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland ushered in a golden age of children’s literature, just as its distinct sense of adventure and fantastical plot stirred young readers’ curiosity.

Other British writers quickly followed suit, further developing the fantasy genre and deepening its absurdism with nuanced depictions of coming of age. Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, for instance, published his adventure novel Treasure Island in 1883, following its serialization in a weekly children’s magazine. Similarly, in 1894, Rudyard Kipling first published The Jungle Book, a collection of stories about Mowgli, a young boy who’s raised by wolves in the jungles of India. These stories, though fantastical in their characters and plots, still include complex themes, encouraging children to consider ideas of family, loss, and loyalty. 

This genre development, hardly confined to the UK, soon spread abroad. In 1883, Italian author Carlo Collodi published The Adventures of Pinocchio, usually credited as the first Italian fantasy novel. In the United States, humorist Mark Twain authored both The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in 1876 and its sequel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, in 1884. Similarly, at the turn of the 20th century, L. Frank Baum published The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, a surrealist adventure novel that has since spawned film and theater adaptations alike. Just like their British counterparts, these novels introduced weighty issues—including racism and social inequality—under the guise of fantasy, encouraging children’s imagination while quietly developing their critical thinking. 

In the mid-20th century, with innovation encouraging scientific curiosity, children’s fantasy gave rise to a separate but similar genre: children’s science fiction. Like fantasy, science fiction approaches real-world issues through the lens of an alternative reality. A popular example is Madeleine L’Engle’s 1962 novel A Wrinkle in Time, which follows its three protagonists on an impossible journey through space and time. More recent examples include Lois Lowry’s The Giver, published in 1993, and Jeanne DuPrau’s The City of Ember, published in 2003. In its own way, Oliver Butterworth’s The Enormous Egg contributes to these intertwined genres, building upon a legacy of engaging, imaginative tropes to convey a sincere understanding of responsibility, companionship, and courage.