On Children's Literature Author:Isabelle Jan Considering children's literature as a distinct genre, this book deals with its history, the way it has developed in response to changing social conditions, the extent to which adult writers have imposed their own tastes and concerns on their child readers, and what it is that makes particular books popular with children. Avoiding the long chro... more »nological survey, Jan considers the sources of children's literature in folktale, ballad, and the first written children's literature in the 18th century. She explores the subject thematically and in relation to its notable authors. Examined in detail are the works of Hans Christian Andersen, Edward Lear, and Lewis Carroll, as well as the themes of the hero, the family, animals, and adventure. Dealing primarily with French and English literature, the author also treats that of Scandinavia, Italy, Brazil, Hungary, Germany, Russia, and Poland. She concludes that the real literature for children is written by those who can conduct a dialogue between themselves as adults and the children they once were. Whether these writers are poets writing about their own problems, or the seekers after treasure in the form of a story, in each case the writing must be in a form chldren can accept - that is, it must be understood from the child's position, written for the child within the author, not for the child whom the author observes.« less