A Token for Children, or A Token for Children: Being an Exact Account of the Conversion, Holy and Exemplary Lives, and Joyful Deaths of Several Young Children, is a collection of stories detailing the conversions, lives, and deaths of various children by Puritan minister and author James Janeway. Originally published in 1671, it is considered a classic in children's literature and one of the earliest known examples of an English book written directly for children.[1]
The book is separated into two volumes and one addendum, containing a total of 20 "examples". The addendum, titled A Token for the Children of New England, contains only examples that specifically involve New England and features an additional 6 scriptural hymns. Each example is short story involving one child, their worship, and eventual death. Each scriptural hymn is a short poem elaborating on a certain verse of the Bible.[2]
The first volume is preceded by an introduction directed towards educators and a preface directed towards children. The introduction discusses the Puritan belief that children are born wicked due to natural sin, warning parents and educators of a child's ability to go to hell if they do not repent at an early enough age.[2] The preface conveys a similar message to children, warning them of how their "miserable state by Nature"[2] can lead them to go to hell after they die. It reminds children that because they can perish at any moment, they must be dutiful to their parents and live a pious life to avoid suffering a death without Christ. It further provides 11 spiritual questions for children to consider and 12 rules to live by to avoid "everlasting fire".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)