With the development of printing, the first illustrated books for children began to appear. At first they were primarily religious texts, grammar books, and works about good behavior. '' (ca 1730–1750) According to
Cynthia Burlingham. the first books with illustrations that could be read for children were collections of
fairy tales, especially ''
Aesop's Fables (first English edition in 1484 by William Caxton), which soon became one of the most popular illustrated books for children. Another early example of an illustrated book for children was Fabulae Centum'' (1564) by
Gabriel Faerno, Writing in the 1970s, Feaver argued that outside occasional exceptions, the history of children's illustrations can be said to be about two centuries old. Initially, illustrations in children's books were almost no different from illustrations in adult editions and were not adapted to the perceptual needs of children. Illustrations in children's books became more popular from the mid-18th century. In England, publisher
Thomas Boreman released illustrated miniature books entitled
Gigantick Histories (1740–1743). Notable English illustrated books for children from that period were published by
John Newbery (
A Little Pretty Pocket-Book from 1744 and
The History of Little Goody Two-Shoes from 1765). Other important English publishers of illustrated children books from that period included
John Marshall and
John Harris. The genres of illustrated children's literature at that time were dominated by the fairy tale and the
moral tale; with the former on average having more illustrations.'' (1901) by British author and illustrator,
Beatrix Potter As the toy market grew, illustrated children's books began to be equipped with elements such as moving parts. Creators who specialized in such books included the German graphic artist
Lothar Meggendorfer and British publisher
Robert Sayer. Technical solutions available in the 20th century meant that illustrated books for children could be relatively cheap while maintaining good quality. The classic illustration drawing techniques were joined by
photography, which was used both as a replacement for, for example,
woodcuts, and was also used in the process of reproduction. Illustrated children's books gradually became more and more adapted to the needs of specific age groups, and the variety of genres of illustrated children's books almost equals those of books for adults. Feaver described the evolution of dominant traditions in children's illustration as follows: "
chapbook to picture book, to
Crane toybook, to picture albums". == Function ==