Childcraft, also known as Childcraft – The How and Why Library, is a multi-volume illustrated encyclopedia for children, which originated in 1934.
History
The Childcraft series was first published in 1934 by W. F. Quarrie & Company, then publishers of the World Book encyclopedia. The title was Childcraft – The How and Why Library.
Childcraft was created as an encyclopedia for young children with simple texts and illustrations designed to make learning fun. Each volume addressed different subjects, including literature — such as short stories and poetry, including fairy tales and nursery rhymes — as well as mathematics and the sciences.
Starting out as seven volumes in the late 1930s, the series was re-issued in a new edition every few years, sometimes incorporating new volumes and re-arranging existing ones. It grew to 15 volumes in the 1950s, and remained there, though further changes were made in later editions. An Italian translation, published by Field Educational Italia between 1964 and the late 1970s, was called I Quindici, I Libri del Come e del Perché ("The Fifteen, The Books of How and Why"); "Fifteen" referred to the 15 volumes comprising the English edition of Childcraft – The How and Why Library at the time.
The Childcraft set also added a separate, optional, special annual volume each year, starting in 1965. Some of these were later incorporated as regular volumes.
In addition, by the 1980s the series had broadened its reach to a dozen foreign language editions, with editions shipped to over 50 countries around the world.World Book, Inc. Answers.com. International Directory of Company Histories. The Gale Group, Inc., 2006. Accessed November 20, 2008.
Contents The 2025 edition consists of the following 10 unnumbered volumes:
About You Art Around Us How Does It Happen? How Things Work Our Earth See the World Shapes and Numbers The Universe The World of Animals The World of Plants
The 2011–2013 edition consists of the following 12 unnumbered volumes:
Art Around Us The World of Animals The World of Plants Our Earth Our Universe How Does It Happen? How Things Work Shapes and Numbers About You Who We Are See the World Celebrate!
The 2000-2007 edition consists of the following 15 volumes:
Poems and Rhymes—Poetry Once Upon a Time—Short stories and folk tales Art Around Us The World of Animals The World of Plants Our Earth Our Universe How Does it Happen? How Things Work Shapes and Numbers About You Who We Are See the World Celebrate! Guide and Index
The 1985–1996 edition consists of the following:
Once Upon a Time Time to Read (1982–1990) or Stories and Poems (1991–1995) Stories and Poems (1982–1990) or Time to Read (1991–1995) World and Space About Animals The Green Kingdom How Things Work (1982–1990) or Story of the Sea (1991≠1995) About Us Holidays and Birthdays Places to Know Make and Do Look and Learn (1982–1990) or How Things Work (1991–1995) Mathemagic About Me Guide for Parents (1982–1990) or Guide to Childcraft (1991–1995)
The 1973–1982 edition consists of the following:
Poems and Rhymes Stories and Fables Children Everywhere World and Space About Animals How Things Work How We Get Things What People Do Holidays and Customs Places to Know Make and Do Look and Learn Look Again About Me Guide for Parents
The last several volumes of the 1954 edition were aimed at parents-to-be and the parents of young children, rather than the children themselves. The full fifteen-volume set consisted of the following:
Poems of Early Childhood Storytelling and Other Poems Folk and Fairy Tales Animal Friends and Adventures Life in Many Lands Great Men and Famous Deeds Exploring the World Around Us Creative Play and Hobbies Science and Industry Art for Children Music for the Family You and Your Family Your Young Child Your Child Goes to School Your Child in Today's World
The following "Childcraft Annual" volumes were released.
1965. Places to Know 1966. Look and Learn 1967. Braving the Elements 1968. Look Again 1969. About Me 1970. Children Everywhere 1971. About Animals 1972. The Green Kingdom 1973. About Us 1974. Animals in Danger 1975. The Magic of Words 1976. Prehistoric Animals 1977. About Dogs 1978. Mathemagic 1979. Story of the Sea 1980. The Indian Book 1981. The Bug Book 1982. The Puzzle Book 1983. Feathered Friends 1984. Great Myths and Legends 1985. Conquest of the Sky 1986. Mysteries and Fantasies 1987. Dinosaurs 1988. Stories of Freedom 1989. World of Color/People to Know 1990. A Place to Live/How We Get Things 1991. I Was Wondering 1992. Pets and Other Animals 1993. Inventors and Inventions 1994. A Look Into Space 1995. Our Amazing Bodies 1996. Exploring the Ocean 1997. Science, Science Everywhere 1998. Friends in the Wild 1999. The Fact Factory 2000. World Adventure 2001. Stories to Share 2002. Secrets of the Past 2003. Heroes and Helpers 2004. Native North Americans 2005. All About Birds 2006. Tales of Mystery and the Unknown 2007. Insects, Spiders, and Creepy Crawlers 2008. Dogs, from Woofs to Wags 2009. Tales Through Time 2010. Brain Games 2011. Code Red: Animals in Peril 2012. Letters to Words 2013. A Dream Takes Flight 2014. The Secret Files of Professor L. Otto Funn 2015. Dr. Mollie Cule Reboots the Robot 2016. Dinosaurs Great & Small 2017. MFF (Math Friends Forever) 2018. Monster All Around 2019. Where in the World Can I... 2020. Animals at Work 2021. Taste the World! 2022. Out of This World
References
World Book Encyclopedia
External links Childcraft – The How & Why Library Official site World Book, Inc. Answers.com. International Directory of Company Histories, The Gale Group, Inc., 2006