Introduction & Top QuestionsDefinition of terms“Children”“Literature”The case for a children’s literatureSome general features and forcesThe discovery of the childShifting visions of the childSlow developmentThe didactic versus the imaginativeThe development of children’s literatureCriteriaThe criteria applied: three examplesWest versus EastNorth versus southLatin AmericaHistorical sketches of the major literaturesEnglandOverviewPrehistory (early Middle Ages to 1712)From “T.W.” to “Alice” (1712?–1865)Coming of age (1865–1945)Contemporary timesHistorical fictionThe creation of worldsUnited StatesOverviewPrehistory (1646?–1865)Peaks and plateaus (1865–1940)Contemporary timesGermany and AustriaHeritage and fairy talesWar and beyondScandinaviaSwedenNational and modern literatureNorwayDenmarkFinlandFranceOverviewHistoryThe 20th centuryRussia/Soviet Union, Children’s literature consists of written works and accompanying illustrations produced to entertain or instruct young people. The genre encompasses a wide range of works, including classics of world literature, picture books and easy-to-read stories written exclusively for children, and fairy tales, lullabies, fables, folk songs, and more., [1] Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. In addition to conventional literary genres, modern children's literature is classified by the intended age of the reader, ranging from picture books for the very young to young adult fiction for those nearing maturity..