A grey background in children’s literature: death, shipwreck, war and disasters

This monograph includes nineteen studies on ‘difficult’ or taboo topics in children’s literature (death, war, and the dangers of the sea), and their subsequent censorship. References to death have been censored or softened. However, in the last twenty or thirty years they were included in literature to guide young readers in the loss of a loved one. Traumatic effects of wars in society are seen as part of the growing up process and as a way to highlight social values concerning peace. As expected, censorship has been closely related to these difficult themes which nowadays are even commonly ignored. The role of sea in wars, shipwrecks and adventures is also discussed. To conclude, this volume proves that controversial topics in current literature enable children and young adults to face these issues in a mature and constructive way.