This article explores the topic of adulthood within children's literature. Because adults author, illustrate, and produce children's literature, adults construct what childhood looks like, as well as the degree of diverse representation within children's texts. The varied, and sometimes conflicting, depictions of child characters reveal the difficulties in defining the boundaries between adults and children, particularly whether their relationship is one of difference, similarity, or degree. Children's literature also interrogates the privileged moral position of adulthood, calling into question whether or not simply being an adult makes someone a reliable role model. The evolving depiction of adults underscores the difficulties of defining adulthood's role in children's texts. Lastly, the article examines the phrase "coming of age" and its relationship to the adult/child binary. By rendering "coming of age" as a complex process, the relationship between childhood and adulthood can be viewed as a spectrum, rather than one of difference. Ultimately, examining adulthood reminds scholars to cultivate an awareness of their assumptions as they negotiate, untangle, and examine their own positions as adults within a genre for children.