ABSTRACT
In children's literature scholarship, 'crossover' refers to literature that transcends the traditional boundaries between child and adult readers. The use of the term 'crossover picturebook' is even more recent than that of 'crossover literature' or 'crossover fiction.' Many picturebooks announce their implied crossover audience in the paratextual matter. Crossover picturebooks push at generic boundaries, challenging the conventional thirty-two-page format. A striking number of crossover picturebooks are wordless, relying entirely on the visual text to tell the story. Crossover picturebooks often contain sophisticated intertextual allusions, some of which are inaccessible to children and present only for the enjoyment of adults. Visual allusions to the fine arts and metadiscourse on art are particularly common in crossover picturebooks. Crossover picturebooks are multilevel works suitable for all ages because they invite different forms of reading depending on the age and experience of the reader.
