Philip B. Kunhardt, Jr. wrote in his memoir, The Dreaming Game (2004), "In the fall of 1938 my mother began to imagine a revolutionary new kind of book for babies." His mother, Dorothy Kunhardt, captured these imaginings on cardstock in Pat the Bunny.The book was an immediate success, due in part to its unique voice- Kunhardt wrote from the baby's point of view. She was a field researcher, an (unschooled!) ethnographer studying early childhood development. In 1937, following the birth of her fourth child, Kunhardt started taking notes.
She recorded "literally thousands" of bits of information about Edith's toddling development... What makes her laugh? What captures her attention? What kind of play does she return to over and over again? She observed first hand Edith's hands-on learning style. Kunhardt became the first writer to thoughtfully conceive a novelty book for babies. Copies of the first edition reached bookstores in time for Christmas, 1940. They sold for one dollar each.
Day one is done.
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