Exploring new paths: contemporary children's and youth literature

Abstract

The ability to reinvent itself and attract readers' attention is what highlights Contemporary Children's and Youth Literature (LIJ), especially Brazilian literature, which stands out as one of the best in the world, both due to the number of copies released annually and its undeniable literary quality. By examining renewed literary aspects and narrative strategies, this article explores the new paths taken by the Brazilian LIJ from a decolonial and anti-racist approach. The objective is to highlight paths that both reread traditional tales and move towards new themes, in tune with current social changes, incorporating themes such as representation and identity that promote cultural and ethnic-racial diversity. We will present the works Um dia, um rio (2016), Meu Cabelo é de Rainha (2021), Minha dança tem história (2019) and A pele que eu tenho (2023) are proven to illustrate these changes. Using as a theoretical basis the concepts of bell hooks (2019, 2021), Marisa Lajolo (1991, 2005), Zilberman (1991) and Teresa Colomer (2003, 2019), and including a review of research on reading practices, the article seeks to demonstrate that contemporary Brazilian LIJ contributes significantly to the construction of a more just and inclusive society by promoting anti-racist and decolonial practices.