have always fascinated children. Two
German brothers, Wilhelm and Jacob
Grimm, published a collection of old
German fairy tales in 1812. The collection
is commonly called Grimm’s Fairy
Tales. It features stories about such characters
as Snow White and Cinderella. In
the late 1800s Sazanami Iwaya of Japan
wrote Japanese Fairy Tales, a collection of
old stories. In 1896 K. Langloh Parker
retold the folktales of the Aborigines
(the native people of Australia) in Australian
Legendary Tales. A collection of
Latin American folktales appeared at
about the same time in Brazil. It was
called Contos da Carochinha.
1900s and Today
During the 1900s more children’s books
were published than ever before. Many
were collections of folktales from various
countries.
In Great Britain and the United States
much children’s literature of this time
focused on fantastic worlds. TheWonderfulWizard
of Oz (1900) by L. Frank
Baum, Winnie-the-Pooh (1926) by A.A.
Milne, and Charlotte’sWeb (1952) by
E.B. White are good examples. The
playful poetry, funny characters, and
fanciful drawings of the many books by
Dr. Seuss also fit in this category. He
published The Cat in the Hat in 1957.
Other children’s literature of the 1900s
showed realistic characters facing the
difficulties of growing up. Lucy Maud
Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables
(1908), Katherine Paterson’s Bridge to
Terabithia (1977), and the novels of
Judy Blume are examples. J.K. Rowling’s
popular Harry Potter books of the late
20th and early 21st centuries have a
magical setting. However, they also realistically
show the emotions of young
people.
#More to explore
Blume, Judy • Book and Bookmaking
• Carroll, Lewis • Fable • Folktale
• Grimm Brothers • Literature • Mother
Goose • Poetry • Rowling, J.K. • Seuss,
Dr. • Storytelling
Most young children enjoy being read to.
Listening to other people read aloud is an
important part of learning to read.
164 Literature for Children BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Lithuania
Lithuania is one of three countries in
northeastern Europe known as the Baltic
states. Latvia and Estonia are the other
two. Lithuania’s capital is Vilnius.
The Baltic Sea forms Lithuania’s western
border. Lithuania shares land borders
with Latvia, Belarus, Poland, and Russia.
Lithuania’s landscape includes low-lying
plains and some hills. The country has a
cool climate.
Lithuania has forests of pine, oak, birch,
and spruce trees. Its wildlife includes
wolves, foxes, otters, badgers, wild boars,
elk, deer, beavers, and mink.
Most of the country’s people are Lithuanians.
The population also includes Russians,
Poles, Belarusians, Ukrainians,
and other groups. Most Lithuanians are
Roman Catholics. More than half of the
people live in cities.
Services and manufacturing are the main
parts of Lithuania’s economy. Services
include education, health care, and communications.
Factories make tools,
motors, electronics, petroleum (oil)
products, cloth, chemicals, and ships.
In 1386 Lithuania’s leader, called a
grand duke, married the queen of
Poland. The union of Lithuania and
Poland lasted until the late 1700s. Russia
then took over most of Lithuania.
Lithuania declared its independence in
1918. However, the Soviet Union took
over in 1940. Nazi Germany seized control
of Lithuania in 1941, duringWorld
War II. The Soviets drove out the Germans
in 1944.
Lithuania gained independence when
the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.
..More to explore
Baltic Sea • Vilnius
Trakai Castle stands on an island in a lake
west of Vilnius, Lithuania.
Facts About
LITHUANIA
Population
(2008 estimate)
3,358,000
Area
25,212 sq mi
(65,300 sq km)
Capital
Vilnius
Form of
government
Republic
Major cities
Vilnius, Kaunas,
Klaipeda,
Siauliai,
Panevezys
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Lithuania 165
Little Rock
Population
(2000 census)
183,133;
(2007 estimate)
187,452
Little Rock is the capital of the U.S.
state of Arkansas. It lies on the Arkansas
River.
Many people in Little Rock work for the
state government. The city is a center of
manufacturing. In addition, farmers in
the region around Little Rock sell their
crops in the city.
Little Rock began in 1722 when a
French explorer set up a trading post.
The post was at the site of a Quapaw
Indian settlement. Little Rock soon grew
up there. It became the capital of the
Arkansas Territory in 1821. In 1836
Arkansas became a U.S. state with Little
Rock as its capital.
A major event in the civil rights movement
happened in Little Rock in 1957.
Since 1954 U.S. public schools were no
longer allowed to have separate schools
for people of different races. Nine African
Americans tried to attend a school
in Little Rock that had only white students.
For several days Arkansas state
troops would not let them enter the
school. Eventually, U.S. troops made
sure the African Americans could attend
the school.
..More to explore
Arkansas • Civil Rights Movement
Liver
The liver is a spongy organ, or body
part, in all vertebrates, or animals with a
backbone. The liver does many important
jobs. It cleans the blood. It also
creates and stores substances that the
body needs.
Structure
In humans the liver is the body’s largest
