While differences and conflicts between younger and older generations have been frequently studied in children’s literature criticism, this book breaks new ground by arguing for the fundamental role of children’s and YA literature and film in propagating and facilitating a culture of generational interconnections. The collection highlights the potential of children’s literature studies as a site of intergenerational solidarity and opens possibilities for a new socially significant inquiry into the culture of childhood that addresses urgent challenges posed by the rapid aging of the global population. The sixteen contributions—by international scholars from Belgium, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, the UK and the US—explore representations of intergenerational relations in classical texts and contemporary ones to show the importance of intergenerational bonds for the sustainability and welfare of societies. Some of the contributions also focus on writing children’s literature as an intergenerational practice of empathy between adult authors and young audiences.
Amy Ratelle Animality and Children’s Literature and Film