This article claims that J. K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series, with its use of magic, frightening storylines, and character ambiguity is beneficial to children who are dealing with issues related to terror and terrorism. The author explains that the scenarios presented in Rowling's series teach children strategies for coping with both physical…

Discusses what Chinese children have read in the last quarter of the 20th century. Notes that much of Chinese children's literature contains strong political, moral, and ideological messages. Examines the official guidelines for children's literature in the post-Mao era. Concludes that in the post-Mao period, the state has become more flexible,…

Discusses how "The Butter Battle Book" by Dr. Seuss can be used to introduce the moral issue of war to young children. Studies the written responses of 1,187 children in grades kindergarten to 6 to the story. Notes that only the fourth- through sixth-grade students (who felt themselves beyond Dr. Seuss) understood the allegorical nature…

Offers an organizational framework, built upon a concept-based curriculum and a dialectical model of history, for the study of multiple perspectives in the combined fields of history and literature. Describes a college course using such a framework which investigated children's picture books concerning war. (HB)

Provides description and analysis of numerous adolescent novels that all deal with human rights issues in a variety of cultures and national settings. Focuses on works by James Watson and Rachel Anderson. Claims that using such works honestly will foster in students a hopeful sense of motivation. (HB)

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)

Suggests that L.T. Meade, a writer of books for adolescent girls in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, shifted from writing pious and didactic novels to novels that challenged the traditional role of women, in order to meet the continually changing interests and needs of her readers. (JC)