The history of children’s informational literature is linked to the publication of John Amos Comenius’s Orbis Pictus (The World in Pictures) in 1657. Not only was this the first picture book, but it was also an informational book. This promising beginning was cut short, however, by the Puritan Movement. For nearly 200 years, the vast majority of books published for and read by children were intended for moralistic instruction rather than information. Rapid development of informational literature as a genre began in the 1950s and 1960s in response to the launching of Sputnik, the first artificial satellite, by the former Soviet Union. Competing in the race for space exploration and new technology, the U.S. Congress funneled money into science education, and publishers responded with new and improved science trade book. Informational picture books for primary graders were introduced, leading to a trend toward more illustrations and less text in informational books at all levels.