Negotiating the Canon: Children's Literature between Tradition and Transformation in Hungary

Abstract: This article explores the evolving status of children's literature studies in Hungary, highlighting its delayed institutional recognition and current academic momentum. It examines the challenges of canon formation, the persistent dominance of nineteenth-century national texts in education, and the marginalization of contemporary children's and youth literature in school curricula. The discussion situates Hungarian developments within international canon debates, addressing issues of literacy, reading motivation, and educational reform. It argues that children's literature plays a crucial role in cultivating reading habits, especially amid declining literacy rates and shifting cultural values, and calls for its fuller integration into both scholarship and pedagogy.