# Childcraft

Childcraft is a multi-volume illustrated anthology for children, which originated in 1934.

## Origin and description

The Childcraft series was originally created in 1934 by W. F. Quarrie & Company, then publishers of the World Book encyclopedia. The series' title was Childcraft – The How and Why Library.
Childcraft was created as a sort of encyclopedia for young children. With simple texts and illustrations, the volumes were 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.
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.

## Contents

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 1954 edition 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

## Footnotes

* ↑ World Book, Inc. (1990). Childcraft: The How and Why Library. Chicago: World Book, Inc. pp. Volume 1, p. 6. ISBN 0716601907.
* ↑ World Book, Inc. Answers.com. International Directory of Company Histories, The Gale Group, Inc., 2006. accessed November 20, 2008