History of Children's Literature By LaurenBenitez 1744 John Newberry Opens the First Children's Bookstore 1851 Nathaniel Hawthorne Writes the First American Children's Book A Wonder Book For Boys and Girls 1865 Lewis Carroll writes Alice in Wonderland 1907 The First Child Labor Laws Passed This allowed more children to go to school to learn to read and write. 1920 Modern Picturebooks Began to be Published 1922 John Newberry Award is Established 1938 Randolph Caldecott Award Established 1960 Young Adult Literature Genre Begins 1975 Harriet Rohmer Establishes Children's Bookpress Dedicated to publication bilingual and culturally diverse picturebooks. 2000 L. Printz Award Established 2006 The Geisel Award is Established