The article discusses the image of the family and the family home in a series of novels for young people by the popular Polish writer Malgorzata Musierowicz in the context of literary conventions and stereotypes about the family in contemporary Polish society. The novels, which cover a period of over 40 years, generally fit contemporary Polish…

Mainstream American culture still commonly considers disabilities as defects. Whether physical, emotional, or mental in nature, these features are hindering an individual, separating them from the perceived norm, and having a negative impact on their acceptance. Films and literature targeting children and young adults currently are seeking to…

Laurie Halse Anderson's young adult novel "Speak" concerns the rape and subsequent silence of ninth grade protagonist Melinda Sordino. By relying on extensive literary allusions involving trees, rape, silence, and transformation, Anderson creates a young adult problem novel that is both of the moment and timeless in its themes. The…

The dolls' house as children's plaything is anything but simple. Inasmuch as the dolls' house may be the reproduction of domestic ideals on a minute scale and an educational model prompting girls to become good housewives, this article argues that it is also a means and space to express imagination, creativity, and agency. Including a short…

This article examines narrative strategies present in picturebooks about slavery that feature quilts. Against the depicted dangers of slavery, images of quilts serve to offer a sense of hope and in that way they provide a means of discussing difficult subjects with very young readers. As a central image in these texts, the quilt is variously…

In "Rabelais and His World" Mikhail Bakhtin traces the history of laughter and the specific impact of Francois Rabelais upon that history, but more important it is the most definitive example of the carnivalesque available to Western scholars to date. By carnivalesque he refers to the traditional language and spectacle associated with folk culture…

Archetypes and imagery often spin the web of a story. (HOD)

Children's responses to illustrations and poetry are often determined by the ability of the poet and artist to grasp one another's creative intent. (HOD)

Examines some of the interesting features of the use of food in Blyton's works, which were written during World War II. (HOD)

Examines the common threads of creation myths; points out that both children and adults need true myth to help them confront actual and potential holocausts and the false myths that inspire them. (GT)

Challenges two assumptions: that children are naturally disposed toward the animated cartoon, and that translating Shakespeare's plays into this medium automatically simplifies and gives them child appeal. Examines the confusions and cross-purposes that surrounded the making of the "Animated Tales" videos, and argues that there are…

Analyzes "Peter Rabbit" and "Squirrel Nutkin" by B. Potter as presenting images of boys who refuse to participate in food gathering rituals of their clan, preferring to challenge authority. Treats the stories as modern myths that admonish boys to have fun, but be prepared for the consequences of mischief. (SKC)

Examines the use of imagery and poetic language in the two novels of Christobel Mattingly, an Australian writer of picture story books. Shows that Mattingly deals with sensitive issues of childhood and adolescence, such as moving to a foreign country, teenage sexuality, and death, in subtle and mature ways. (SKC)

Suggests that Natalie Babbitt's "Tuck Everlasting" narrows the gap between "untroubled, sterile" children's literature and adult literature by avoiding simple dichotomies while presenting life as a complex mixture of good and evil, containing perplexing moral dilemmas. (JC)