Literature of childhood and youth

The literature of childhood and youth ( LEJ ) is the sector of the edition specialized in the publications intended for the jeunesse.
It is a literary kind which emerged as from the 19th century and took importance during the 20th century. This sector, governed by laws different from the other editions, is resulting from a specific history.

History of the literature of childhood and youth

The first writings for youth, like those of Charles Perrault, in fact were not reserved to them but were addressed to the adults as much as with the children. The first book intended for a child (the Dolphin) is the adventures of Télémaque (1699) of Fénelon. It is with Jeanne Marie Leprince de Beaumont that the first Conte S specifically intended for youth are written. At the same time, the young public adapts the GULLIVER, Don Quichotte and of course Robinson Crusoé recommended by Rousseau.

At the XIXe century appear the booksellers of education (editor S). Louis Hatchet, initially specialized in the school handbooks, invests the edition of leisure starting from 1850. It is the development of the voyages which gives him the idea to establish kiosks in the stations, in which it will sell starting from 1853 seven collections intended for the travellers including only one, for pink cover, will last, with authors such as the Comtesse of Ségur or Zénaïde Fleuriot. Called thereafter the pink library it since is renovated regularly and continuous to be success.

In 1843, Jules Hetzel publishes the Nouveau store of the children . Then, in 1864, of return of exile, it publishes the Magasin of education and recreation intended for the reading in family. The project is to make collaborate the scientists, the writer S and the Illustrateur S with an aim of reconciling science and the fiction, to put imagination at the service of the Pédagogie. It is a position difficult to hold in a climate positivist, but thanks to the meeting with Jules Verne, Hetzel succeeds in imposing a new kind.

After 1870 one witnesses a multiplication of the titles and editors, it is the time of the novels with success of Paul Féval but the expansion is short and leaves room to a decline badly explained until in 1914. One shows sometimes the competition of the handbooks become gravitational (in 1877 appears the Tower of France by two children ), sometimes of the economic factors although in same time the adult edition does not undergo the same crisis. Sometimes finally, it is the Bicyclette which is shown to compete with the reading in the leisures of youth: about this one, some said whereas this futile activity vaporizes on the main roads national intellect ! It seems that it is the greed of the editors, in a hurry to garner easy successes than to engage in a production of quality, which diverted the young readers little by little.

For the inter-war period, it is necessary to announce (in France) the Père Beaver (Paul Faucher), the Tales of the cat perched of Marcel Aymé, the Small Prince of Saint-Exupéry and some books of Jacques Prévert. During the Seventies, François Ruy-Vidal with the assistance of Harlin Quist, approaches topics which were up to that point reserved to the adults and considers qu'" there is no literature for children, it there with the littérature" ; Francoise Dolto strongly criticized its vision of the things.

At the end of the 20th century, with a larger freedom for the authors and the illustrators, as of beginning of the year 80, a humorous literature was born with the word games of Pierre Elie Ferrier: the Prince de Motordu, or the Hairy Monster whose controlled insolence is very appreciated in the elementary schools and at the Orthophoniste S. At the same time, to lead the pre teenagers amateurs of video games to approach the book, one saw flowering a new Romance variety of for readers-zappeurs: the books of which you are the hero whose reading was connected with a play of track. As a majority translated from English, these books were an immense success fire-of-straw during ten years.

Since the beginning of the 21e century, one witnesses an renewed interest for the literature of youth, mainly under the effect of the books of the series Harry Potter. This series having given again the taste of the reading with certain children, other authors saw the sales of their books increasing. But also because there are a rise of the choice and creativity in the new authors of youth. The Korea is essential like one of the main actors of the market thanks to the richness and the diversity of its illustrators. The annual reports on the rate of Illiteracy, (10%) in France, have remained despite everything hopelessly identical for more than thirty years.

The albums of literature of youth

For a few years, the Auteurs of literature of youth have had largely increased and packed the rays of the Librairie S. Indeed, one can find there a choice and a creativity abundant. One of the kinds in which open out particularly the contemporary authors of youth are the illustrated albums which one can find in editors such as the School of the Leisures for example. A true culture of the album, as well in the hearths as at the school, is setting up itself. Indeed, it is there one of the first cultural objects which the child will be able to handle and even have as of his more young age. Certain teachers use even the literature of childhood and youth like support to the training of the reading.

Moreover, much of editors less important than the School of the Leisures splendid albums propose (poetic texts and/or symbolic systems, artistic illustrations…) on varied and interesting topics (the difference, the tolerance, death…). Some of these editors: Editions Street of the world, Editions Thierry Magnier, Editions Being, Ruy-Vidal Editions… Some titles of albums: The King of the Three Orients (François Place, Editions Street of the world), Reviens grandmother (Sue Limb, Claudio Manoz, Mijade editions), the young wolf which did not have a name (Jean-Claude Mourlevat, Jean-Luc Bénazet, Milan editions), a blue so blue (Jean-François Dumont, editions Père Flammarion Beaver), a handkerchief of blue sky (OJ Hoestlandt, Nathalie Novi, editions Thierry Magnier), the small being (Jeanne Benameur, Nathalie Novi, editions Thierry Magnier), Vivre without me, I cannot (Gerda Dendooen, Wally de Doncker, Etre editions). Of course, one could quote some much of others…

Paperbacks for youth

Did the books for cheap children exist as of the XIXe century but this leading sector is seen touched at the end of the years 1970 by the phenomenon of the paperback, a score of years after the adult sector however, like if childish public (or parents?) had hitherto felt reluctant with () offering small disposable novel. The Éditions of the Friendship (Hatier) indeed launch their collection “Youth pocket” since 1971 then the School of the Leisures its “Fox Pocket”, collection where appear, as from 1976, the voyage in balloon and Hair-White of Albert Lamorisse, of the titles of Tomi Ungerer or Arnold Lobel and of traditional ( Robinson Crusoé of Daniel Defoe, the man with the broken ear of Edmond About, the novel of the mummy of Théophile Gautier, GULLIVER/Voyage in Lilliput of Jonathan Swift, Quentin Durward of Walter Scott, Tartarin de Tarascon of Alphonse Daudet…)
But the true clap of thunder in the small world of the childish edition is the publication of the first “Folio junior” in 1977, for a public of teenagers and pre-teenagers. This collection publishes in particular works of Henri Bosco, Roald Dahl, Claude Roy, Michel Tournier, Marcel Aymé etc From now on the children know them also the charm of the book whose pages fall apart, the first editions of Folio junior being particularly fragile. The success of the collection encourages Gallimard to launch into 1980 of the paperbacks illustrated colors for the 5-7 years (“Folio Benjamin”) then the collection “Folio Junior” for the intermediate age bracket in 1983 Hachette follows the movement with the “Paperback youth” in 1979 Erich Kästner with Emile and the detectives , Hans Peter Richter, Jose Mauro de Vasconcelos with My beautiful orange tree , Henriette Bichonnier with Emilie and the magic pencil , Paul Berna, etc Viennent then, in 1980, the turn of Flammarion with “Beaver Pocket” (and the edition of Jonathan Livingston the seagull of Richard Bach illustrated by Gerard Franquin), and Casterman with “the Friend of pocket”. In the years 1980, all the large editors for youth launch their collection of pocket. Since the years 1990 the majority of the novels for young people and teenagers do not know an other edition that the book of pocket. This one however tends in this beginning of XXIe century to grow. Thus the pockets of the collection Folio youngest child are republished in a format which approaches that of the album.

These last years, the border between paperbacks and other books has tendency, in literature of youth, to scramble itself: certain editors make appear short novels for pupils of preparatory Cours (CP) or classes following which take again the characters of certain methods of reading of the CP (Ratus, Gafi,…). Other editors make appear in little books of pocket of works which concern as much the album as of the novel, i.e. they have many illustrations and an often short text ( the red wolf of Friedrich Karl Waechter or Of the trade of the mouse of Alain Serres for example). Lastly, whereas the book of pocket tended to privilege the novels, the collections became very frequent (compilations of short texts like Histoires in a hurry of Bernard Friot, compilations of poetic texts, collections of police news like Drôle of Saturday evening of Claude Klotz, collections of tales like Contes of a kingdom lost of Erik the Man and François Place.

Literary prizes

The rise of this leading sector was accompanied by a multiplication of the literary prizes decreed by collectives of booksellers, professional associations, living rooms and other literary demonstrations… One does not count any less than 114 in France

Among most famous, one can quote:

* the Price Baobab tree
* the Price Tom-toms
* the Price of the press of the young people
  • the Price Witch
  • the Prices of Incorruptible the
  • the price Saint-Exupery value youth
  • the Price commemorative Astrid Lindgren
  • the Price Bernard Versele of the League of the Families of Brussels

Literature of youth at the French school

In the schools and the French colleges, the professors must from now on be sensitized with the literature of youth. The French professors in college must thus make read at least a work of literature of youth to their pupils. Titles are advised in the official programs published by the Minister of education Main road.

In Primary education, the request is much more important: the teachers of cycle 3 for example, must make read 10 works (albums, novels, tales…) per annum with the pupils (works worked in class with all the pupils). Moreover, they must make it possible to the pupils to read, moreover, 10 works in a freer way; for these 10 books, the pupils do not choose all the same ones, the books are not worked collectively in class; the teachers must allow the children to read them by helping them for example to choose in the library of the school.

Since 2002, the Ministry publishes also a list intended for the teachers of the elementary schools. During its appearance this list was highly disputed as well by authors as by booksellers, editors or by certain teachers. With 180 titles she was regarded as too restrictive, one could fear that she does not solidify the literary landscape. In 2004, an actualization, under the direction of Christian Poslaniec widened the recommendations with 300 titles.

The list of 300 pounds proposed by the Ministry in 2004 relates to only cycle 3 of elementary school (CE2-CM1-CM2) what wants to say that there is much more than 300 pounds if account of the two other cycles is taken (cycle 1 with the nursery school and cycles 2 with Grande section of nursery school, CP and CE1). Nevertheless, it is true that it is especially for cycle 3 that the Ministry produced documents (like the documents of Littérature application cycles 3 and the accompanying document " To see and write with the cycle 3". It should be specified that it is a list as an indication.

On the site of the CNDP one can find the list 2002, the list 2004

It should be noted that this list contains traditional of the literature of youth which fell into the public domain and whose texts are thus freely photocopiables and diffusables near the pupils. Some of these texts are available besides on Wikisource (like the stoical tin soldier , the little girl with the matches and the Small siren of Hans Christian Andersen, the blue Bird of Madam d' Aulnoy, Dame Winter , the Fisherman and his wife and the Bird of Warped of the brothers Grimm, Ali Baba and the forty robbers and Sinbad the Sailor , both extracts of the Thousand and One Nights , the Fables fountain , the Beautiful one and the Animal of Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, several tales of Charles Perrault, of which Bore-Blue Cinderella and ).

Literature youth in Quebec

It is considered that the Littérature youth in Quebec starts with the Adventures of Perrine and Charlot, in 1923, published for the first time in the review the blue Bird published by the Company Saint-Jean-Baptist for the young French Canadians. At that time, the production was rather frugal and the Twenties knew only some titles youth. But today, and since the Eighties, the production in literature youth in Quebec explodes and diversifies.

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