Spiritual Milk for Boston Babes

Cover page of 1656 edition, printed in America
Cover page of 1646 edition, printed in London

Spiritual Milk for Boston Babes is a children's catechism by the minister John Cotton.[1] The 1656 catechism is the first known children's book published in America.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]

  1. ^ Paul Royster (2013). "Milk for Babes. Drawn Out of the Breasts of Both Testaments. Chiefly, for the Spiritual Nourishment of Boston Babes in Either England: But May Be of Like Use for Any Children – Abstract". Electronic Texts in American Studies. Libraries of the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  2. ^ Davidson & McTigue 1988, p. 140 "This was the first children's book printed in North America."
  3. ^ Hunt 2013, p. 860 "first book especially prepared for North American youth".
  4. ^ Kane, Joseph (1997). Famous First Facts, A Record of First Happenings, Discoveries, and Inventions in American History (5th ed.). H.W. Wilson Company. p. 65, item 1729. ISBN 0-8242-0930-3. The first children's book was John Cotton's catechism Milk for Babes, Drawn out of the Breasts of Both Testaments, Chiefly for the Spiritual Nourishment of Boston Babes in either England: But may be of like use for any children
  5. ^ Silvey 1995, p. 19 "the first book printed for children in the New World was Spiritual Milk for Boston Babes.".
  6. ^ Hawes & Hiner 1985, p. 190 "Spiritual Milk for Boston Babes, the first children's book written and published in America".
  7. ^ Library of Congress 1982, p. 26 "A book that the Library lacks, John Cotton's Spiritual Milk for Boston Babes (1656), is the classic example of the moral children's book. In this small question-and-answer manual, the first children's book printed in America".
  8. ^ Spurgeon 2012, p. 148 "first children's book written by an American".
  9. ^ Barbara Kiefer, Ohio State University-Columbus (2010). "Charlotte Huck's Children's Literature". Online Learning center. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Retrieved October 11, 2013. John Cotton's catechism, Spiritual Milk for Boston Babes in Either England, Drawn from the Breasts of Both Testaments for Their Souls' Nourishment, was originally published in England in 1646, and revised for American children in 1656, the first book written and printed for children in the American colonies.