ABSTRACT
Because of its position in the literary system, children's literature leans towards internationalism and multiculturalism for several reasons. There is the supposed universality of at least some aspects of ‘childhood’ (or early youth), the educative/ acculturalizing role of children's literature in many societies, and the positioning of the ‘universal’ folk/fairy tale in children's literature. Consequently, the criticism has tended both to deal with the literature of many cultures, as with the Children's Literature Association in North America or the Institut für Jugendbuchforschung at Frankfurt am Main; or actually to organize itself internationally, as with the International Research Society for Children's Literature, the International Board on Books for the Young or the Internationale Jugendbibliothek at Munich.
