▁of ▁the ▁future ▁was ▁poor ly ▁received : ▁" Re views , ▁whether ▁in ▁liberal ▁or ▁conserv ative ▁mag az ines , ▁r anged ▁from ▁c aut ious ▁to ▁patron izing ly ▁negative ▁to ▁out rage ously ▁ab us ive ." ▁Bar ba uld , ▁st unn ed ▁by ▁the ▁reaction , ▁retre ated ▁from ▁the ▁public ▁eye . ▁Even ▁when ▁Britain ▁was ▁on ▁the ▁ver ge ▁of ▁winning ▁the ▁war , ▁Bar ba uld ▁could ▁not ▁be ▁joy ous . ▁She ▁wrote ▁to ▁a ▁friend , ▁" I ▁do ▁not ▁know ▁how ▁to ▁rejo ice ▁at ▁this ▁victory , ▁splendid ▁as ▁it ▁is , ▁over ▁Bu on ap arte , ▁when ▁I ▁consider ▁the ▁hor rible ▁waste ▁of ▁life , ▁the ▁mass ▁of ▁mis ery , ▁which ▁such ▁gig antic ▁comb ats ▁must ▁occasion ." ▁ ▁Children ' s ▁literature ▁ ▁]] ▁Bar ba uld ' s ▁Less ons ▁for ▁Children ▁and ▁H ym ns ▁in ▁Pro se ▁for ▁Children ▁made ▁a ▁revolution ▁in ▁children ' s ▁literature . ▁For ▁the ▁first ▁time , ▁the ▁needs ▁of ▁the ▁child ▁reader ▁were ▁seriously ▁considered . ▁Bar ba uld ▁demanded ▁that ▁her ▁books ▁be ▁printed ▁in ▁large ▁type ▁with ▁wide ▁marg ins ▁so ▁that ▁children ▁could ▁easily ▁read ▁them , ▁and ▁even ▁more ▁important ly , ▁she ▁developed ▁a ▁style ▁of ▁" in form al ▁dialog ue ▁between ▁parent ▁and ▁child " ▁that ▁would ▁domin ate ▁children ' s ▁literature ▁for ▁a ▁generation . ▁In ▁Less ons ▁for ▁Children , ▁a ▁four - volume