Children's Rights and Children's Literature

The 20th century is often called the "Century of the Child" as the childhood image considerably changed in many parts of the world and significant milestones were achieved, e.g. United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The society's deep culture and childhood image have a great impact on the realization or violation of children's rights on a daily basis. Are children's rights in children's literature manifest? If so, in which way are they represented - positively or negatively? Can contextual differences be identified? These questions are tackled from three perspectives: literature, pedagogy and human rights. Through the creation of a theoretical framework the author Birgit Scheffel analyzes 30 children's books from Austria, Cote d'Ivoire and Uruguay. The focus lies on the contextual influence on children's rights in children's literature and emphasis is put on the argument that children's literature has a high potential regarding informal children's rights education. This book targets all children's rights advocates, children's book lovers, parents, teachers and professionals working with children.