iz abeth ▁Bar rett ▁Brow ning ▁could ▁still ▁quote ▁the ▁opening ▁lines ▁of ▁Less ons ▁for ▁Children ▁at ▁age ▁thirty - n ine ." ▁Although ▁both ▁Samuel ▁Johnson ▁and ▁Charles ▁James ▁Fox ▁rid ic u led ▁Bar ba uld ' s ▁children ' s ▁books ▁and ▁believed ▁that ▁she ▁was ▁was ting ▁her ▁tal ents , ▁Bar ba uld ▁herself ▁saw ▁such ▁writing ▁as ▁noble ▁and ▁encourag ed ▁others ▁to ▁follow ▁her . ▁As ▁B ets y ▁Rod gers , ▁her ▁bi ograph er ▁explains , ▁" She ▁gave ▁prest ige ▁to ▁the ▁writing ▁of ▁ju ven ile ▁literature , ▁and ▁by ▁not ▁lower ing ▁her ▁standard ▁of ▁writing ▁for ▁children , ▁she ▁inspired ▁others ▁to ▁write ▁on ▁a ▁similar ▁high ▁standard ." ▁In ▁fact , ▁because ▁of ▁Bar ba uld , ▁Sarah ▁Tr immer ▁and ▁Hann ah ▁More ▁were ▁inspired ▁to ▁write ▁for ▁poor ▁children ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁organ ise ▁a ▁large - scale ▁Sunday ▁School ▁movement , ▁Ellen or ▁F enn ▁to ▁write ▁and ▁design ▁a ▁series ▁of ▁readers ▁and ▁games ▁for ▁middle - class ▁children , ▁and ▁Richard ▁Lov ell ▁Ed gew orth ▁to ▁begin ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁first ▁system atic ▁studies ▁of ▁child hood ▁development , ▁which ▁would ▁cul min ate ▁in ▁an ▁educational ▁treat ise ▁author ed ▁by ▁Maria ▁Ed gew orth ▁and ▁him , ▁and ▁in ▁a ▁large ▁body ▁of ▁children ' s ▁stories ▁by ▁Maria . ▁ ▁Bar ba uld ▁also ▁collabor ated ▁with ▁her ▁brother ▁John ▁A ik in ▁on ▁the ▁six - volume ▁series