Children's Nonfiction and National Trauma: The Case of Smyrna's Catastrophe—a Literature of Critical Engagement or a Literature of Facts?

Abstract: This article examines how contemporary Greek historical nonfiction for children engages with national trauma, focusing on three titles published during the 2022 centenary of the Asia Minor Catastrophe. Drawing on Sanders's framework of critical nonfiction and Seixas and Morton's historical thinking concepts, the study analyzes narrative stance, visual strategies, peritexts, and the use of primary sources to assess whether these texts promote inquiry or reinforce authoritative, ideologically framed accounts. The analysis reveals that while the books prioritize factual accuracy and emotional resonance, they largely suppress alternative perspectives and critical reflection, favoring national coherence and commemorative closure. Photographs and testimonies serve to elicit empathy but rarely provoke historical questioning. However, subtle gaps and visual ambiguities offer limited entry points for critical engagement.