Fantasy, literature and early childhood : from first texts to metafictional picturebooks

This article focuses on fantasy in literature for early childhood to show when and how this genre unfolds in books addressed to up to six-year-old readers. Departing from a far-reaching notion based on the classical distinction between the realistic and the fantastic in children's literature, we analyse a selection of texts of increasing complexity in light of the specifi c modes in which fantasy enters them. Our ultimate aim is to present the ways in which the fantastic is constructed in these texts and gives them shape with regard to plots, characters, scenarios, symbology and temporality on the one hand; and on the other, the way in which this changes with respect to how the audience grows in age. As fantasy provides children not only with pleasure and fun but also with a means of literary education via a genre-based path, this paper simultaneously -and explicitly-proposes a progressive fantasy tour for young children. Th is tour has three main visiting areas: 1) ethnopoetics, fairy tales and fi rst books; 2) fantastic picturebooks, and 3) fantastic metafi ctional picturebooks. Each is exemplifi ed with internationally acclaimed titles and local works. Taking into account the cognitive and emotional development of young children, we are convinced that this itinerary, which is easily adaptable to any western cultural context, can help young readers to both enjoy and understand fantasy, a key genre for emergent readers, to the extent that it enables them to gain pleasurable access to culture on the whole, develop reading effi ciency while having fun, and enhance imaginary and cognitive abilities