Today, when the literature for adults is deteriorating, good books for children seem to be the only hope, the only refuge, appealing not only to the child in the adult, but to the adult in the child too. Mirroring the society from which the children arise, the book Children’s Literature (Vol. I) strives towards cultivating awareness and understanding of current children's literature, authors and illustrators. Woven thematically around modern critical debates, it explores the vision and wonder of the world of children’s literature. Integrating instruction and entertainment, oral and written traditions, realism and fantasy, words and pictures, classics and adaptations, and perspectives on childhood and adult life, the book intends to illuminate the rich diversity of children’s literature studies.
The book draws perspectives from various terrains like psychology, education, history, cultural studies and literary criticism. It attempts to examine how literary forms and genres, diverse influences, and evolving attitudes towards childhood have shaped the field of children’s literature. It encourages both the students and scholars of English literature to challenge common assumptions about children, childhood, and children’s books.
The book will prove useful for the students and teachers of English literature, particularly children’s literature, and researchers in these fields. To those who wish to know about various attributes of children’s literature, it will provide for a richly rewarding reading.
