Spiritual Milk for Boston Babes

Spiritual Milk for Boston Babes, the first children’s book printed in British North America, was the work of John Cotton, the preeminent minister and theologian of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In its 15 small pages, Cotton’s catechism encompassed the Reformed Protestant faith in simple, succinct, eloquent language that eventually passed not only into general usage but also, it might be said, into the New England subconscious. Children’s catechisms such as Spiritual Milk are quite rare today—many succumbed to the rough handling of their young readers, while others simply failed to survive the ravages of time. The New York Public Library holds the only known copy of this initial American edition.