 During the nineteenth century, "The Fairchild Family" was renowned for its realistic portrayal of childhood and its humor, but Sherwood's book fell from favor as Britain became increasingly secularized and new fashions in children's literature came to dominate the literary scene, represented by works such as Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland".In the twentieth century the books have most often been viewed as quintessential examples of the didactic style of children's writing popular before "Alice".Sherwood published the first part of "The Fairchild Family" in 1818 with the firm of John Hatchard in Piccadilly, thereby assuring it "social distinction".