All too often, attention is paid only to those children's novels that were written in English, with non-English-language works being passed over and neglected. Beyond Babar: The European Tradition in Children's Literature examines eleven of the most celebrated European children's novels in substantial, critical essays written by well-known international scholars. This approach provides a comprehensive discussion of the selected works from a variety of theoretical perspectives. Each essay offers a critical introduction to the text that can serve as a point of departure for literary scholars, professors of children's literature, primary and secondary school teachers, and librarians who are interested in texts that cross languages and cultures. Beyond Babar is especially meant to assist instructors of children's literature who would like to use these texts in the classroom, in order to begin to redress the English-language dominance of many children's literature courses. This volume will also be of interest to the general public, as its ultimate aim is to bring to the attention of all English-speaking readers the literature from other parts of the world, in this case from Europe. Beyond Babar helps to facilitate the border crossings of these European masterpieces of children's literature into the English-speaking world.

Sandra L. Beckett is Professor of Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at Brock University in Canada. She is the author of numerous books, including Recycling Red Riding Hood (2002). Maria Nikolajeva is Professor of Comparative Literature at Stockholm University (Sweden). She is the author of numerous books and articles on children's literature, including Aesthetic Approaches to Children's Literature: An Introduction (Scarecrow, 2005).

Part 1 Introduction Chapter 2 1. Earth Hanging in Infinity: Janusz Korczak's King Matt the First Chapter 3 2. The Taming of the Two: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's Little Prince Chapter 4 3. A Misunderstood Tragedy: Astrid Lindgren's Pippi Longstocking Books Chapter 5 4. Creating the Eternal Farewell: Tove Jansson's Moomin Novels Chapter 6 5. Blue Train, Red Flag, Rainbow World: Gianni Rodari's The Befana's Toyshop Chapter 7 6. Modernism for Children? Cecil Bødker's Silas and the Black Mare Chapter 8 7. Michel Tournier Retells the Robinson Crusoe Myth: Friday and Robinson: Life on Speranza Island Chapter 9 8. About a Factory-Made Boy: Christine Nöstlinger's Story about Conrad Chapter 10 9. A Neverending Success Story? Michael Ende's Return Trip to Fantastica Chapter 11 10. "We Were a Pair": Peter Pohl's Johnny, My Friend Chapter 12 11. Philosophical Homework or Universal Amazement? Jostein Gaarder's Sophie's World Chapter 13 12. What Do We Translate When We Translate Children's Literature? Part 14 Bibliography Part 15 Index Part 16 About the Contributors