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Moral Stories

“That you may read it to profit, you must take notice of whatever was good in the children you read of, to imitate it; and whatever was bad, in order to avoid it.”

—George Burder in Early Piety, or, Memoirs of Children Eminently Religious

The moral story was an extremely popular genre of juvenile literature, written to convey a specific message to readers. Most often the lessons are those learned by example: good children are properly rewarded and, conversely, bad children are appropriately punished for their misdeeds. Tales of pious children, many of whom die at an early age, were published well into the nineteenth century and several titles were reprinted or adapted by religious publishing firms in various countries.

Holy and exemplary lives	Early piety	The Prodigal Son

Early death of a pious young girl	Early death of a pious young boy	Poor children in the city	Small stories for older children