Discusses the metaphorical use of landscape in three novels by William Mayne. (HOD)

Analyzes stories which show insight into children's feelings and actions. (DD)

Argues that Andre Norton's "Octagon Magic" is neither a conventional girls' book, nor a witch tale, nor a time fantasy but rather a unique coming-of-age story best understood within the context of theorists such as Carol Gilligan, Mary Belenk, and Jean Baker Miller. (TB)

Shows how the critical reception of J. M. Barrie's "Peter Pan" has varied widely since its publication. Describes the mythical qualities of the Peter Pan character and gives reasons why the story is still popular with children and why it should continue to be taught and read. (HB)

Considers in detail "a safe place" in two popular children's novels. Concludes that a crucial thematic aspect becomes one of balance--balance between reason and imagination, reality and fantasy, the finite and the infinite--and that the safe places created in these stories are built out of a reasoned solution to a problem. (PA)

Provides a comparative analysis between the work of Kenneth Grahame and Enid Blyton. Finds that a truly unbiased comparison is impossible. States that Grahame's "The Wind in the Willows" is most often seen as a "classic," and that Blyton's work is seen as "popular trash." Cautions that definitions of…

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…

Orson Scott Card's school stories in outer space, "Ender's Game" and "Ender's Shadow," purportedly occur at the same time and tell the "same" story, but from the perspectives of two different child protagonists. Scenes in "Ender's Shadow" even reproduce text from "Ender's Game." Nevertheless, 14 years elapsed between the publications of the two…

The Harry Potter series focuses upon the toilet as a site for heroic action and a threshold between worlds as well as a more traditional place for boys to be bullied and girls to weep. This article offers a Kristevan reading of the toilets as abject in Harry Potter, and shows how this concept helps us make sense of wider issues within the series,…

Presents a personalized glimpse of the steps one writer went through during the process of writing a fiction story for children. (RB)

Reviews the life and works of Kornei I. Chukovsky and discusses his contribution to children's literature. (RB)

Examines several themes from children's literature for the way they reflect the fears of adults and provide a warning to the young about the dangers ahead in life. (RB)

Discusses the literary merits of the children's literature produced by Peter Dickinson. (RB)

Discusses the importance of illustrations in children's books, and analyzes some of the problems when the illustrations reveal prejudical attitudes or contain scenes that cause nightmares. (RB)

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the work of Hungarian literary critic and philosopher Georg Lukacs to teachers of children's literature. The first half of the paper explores the key ideas in Lukacs's literary theory, including "speciality"--an aspect of reality that falls between the extremes of individuality and universality;…