ABSTRACT
The evidence presented in this book makes clear that gender stereotypes in French children’s literature persist well into the 21st century. Representations that prevail in the stories available on library shelves, distributed in schools through book clubs, and included in subscription magazines are out of sync with the ideals of a society that claims to be democratic and egalitarian. In addition to a predominant patriarchal worldview in the literature, the comparative absence of females obliges girl readers to identify with male protagonists, and characters play stereotypically gendered roles in almost every story.
