ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. Change, inevitably, is a major theme. It is amused to note the lack of change in many texts. Despite the obvious rise of electronic literacy in lives of readers and authors of children's books, computers, e-readers and mobile phones rarely appear in children's literature. Even in books where reading is not positioned as dangerous and ordinary children are shown reading for interest and relaxation as part of their ordinary lives, we see paradox and change. There are many more books about readers and readers in books that might have been mentioned in this volume but are not. One reason for this is that it was not until we started looking that we realised just how many there were - and not just in English. Fictional books read by readers in stories are differentiated from real books by having their titles enclose in inverted commas.
