John Newbery
John Newbery's first printing shop in London was at the Bible and Crown near Devereux Court. First he printed books for grown-ups. Soon he started to print books for children. The first children's book he printed was called A Little Pretty Pocket-Book. He started printing it on July 18, 1744. It cost six pence, or English pennies. A person who bought A Little Pretty Pocket-Book from John Newbery could also buy a red and black toy ball from him for two more pennies. The toy ball was made of cloth and stuffed with sawdust. Children who read the book could stick pins into the ball. They stuck a pin into the red side of the ball when they were good at reading the selection. They stuck a pin into the black side of the ball when they were bad at it. This made them think about whether they were being good or bad. John Newbery thought this game with the ball would encourage the children to be more fluent when reading.