What's so important about children's literature?

摘要

How fun!" That's the reaction when I tell people I study children's literature. And they are so right. Children's lit research is fascinating and yes, lots of fun. Often they follow this comment with reminiscences about a beloved childhood book and perhaps (cringe) a remark about how "cute" it was. For many adults, children's literature is comfort food, wrapped in nostalgia, recalling blissful times lost in a book with a happy ending. I confess to some nostalgia of my own, along with a few fantasies about fairy godmothers and that teaser "happily ever after." I came to the study of children's literature as any ex-English major would, through appreciation of the beauty and economy of its written word.