When it comes to children’s stories, there are hundreds of classics. Rapunzel, Aladdin and Snow White are just some of the favourites. However, what often goes unnoticed is the author behind these master pieces. There are a handful of children’s story authors who have been incredibly productive over the years, with just 2-4 authors writing the majority of classic children’s stories and children’s bedtime stories. Moreover, another interesting detail is that the vast majority of the classic kid’s stories that you live and grew up with were actually not written in English originally; but rather translated to English at a later point. With that said, here are some of the most productive and famous kid’s story authors through time.
The Grimm Brothers
The Grimm Brothers, or “Brothers Grimm” as they are commonly referrer to were two German academics. The Brothers Grimm were born in the 1780s within the Roman Empire, in present day Germany. At the time, there was a rise in the popularity of fairy tales and romanticism. The Grimm brothers had an interest for literature, and taught German studies at a university level. From 1807 and onwards, they began adding to their collection of tales. The vast majority of the stories were not intended for children to begin with, but at later dates turned out to be kids classics. To begin with, the stories were not well received, but they grew in popularity and have today been translated into 100s of languages. Some of the most popular works include Cinderella, The Frog Prince, Sleeping Beauty and many more.
Joseph Jacobs
Joseph Jacobs was an Australian folklorist and literary critic. Jacobs was born in 1854 in Sydney, Australia to English immigrant parents. Jacob’s career in literature began in 1890 when he started editing collections if fairytales by John Dickson Batten. Jacobs was inspired by the Brothers Grimm, and drew inspiration from previous works of the brothers. He wished for English speaking children to have access to English fairy tales, as opposed to the German translated ones, which was a large reason for his fairytale collection and editing. Jacobs is credited with some legendary stories, such as Lazy Jack, Teeny Tiny and The Story of the Three Bears.
Hans Christian Andersen
Andersen was a Danish writer of plays, poems and novels, but he is best remembered for some of the legendary fairy tales that he has written. Born in 1805 in Odense, Denmark, Andersen began his career early, with his first tale being written when he was around 20 years old. Andersen is credited with writing 156 stories, making him one of the most productive folklore authors to date. Andersens ‘Fairy Tales Told For Children’ is a collection of nine fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen. The tales were published in a series of three instalments by C. A. Reitzel in Copenhagen, Denmark between May 1835 and April 1837, and represent Andersen’s first venture into the fairy tale genre. Andersen has written some all time favourites such as The Emperors New Clothes, The Leap Frog and The Real Princess.
Logan Marshall
Logan Marshall was an author and a publisher of novels, poems and manuscripts. Marshall was born in 1883 in Pennsylvania, The United States. Marshall graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1907 and took a job as an editor at a publishing firm. Here he both wrote an edited a large number of books, and this is where he started using the pen name “Logan Marshall”, having originally been named Logan Howard-Smith. Marshall is credited with some all time favourite children’s stories, such as The Puss-In Boots, Alladin And The Wonderful lamp & The Little Snow White.
While there are plenty of other authors which could have been on this list, it may be argued that these are some of the most influential children’s story authors of all time. Among them, hundreds of household classics have been created that have touched the imaginations of hundreds of millions of children for generations, and will continue to do so. A large number of the stories created by these Authors are available on WonderSagas today; an audio stories app for children – start your 2 week free trial today.