Readdressing in children's literature: the illustrated book in Cora Coralina

Abstract

This article addresses children's and young adult literature in relation to its use of illustrations as a means of mediating the reading of texts originally intended for an adult audience. In this sense, it discusses pertinent themes such as the history of childhood, the emergence of children's literature, and graphic design in the mediation and adaptation of two works by the writer Cora Coralina (2002, 2007, 2011): the poem “O prato azul-pombinho”, illustrated by Ângela Lago and Lúcia Hiratsuka; and the short story “As Cocadas”, illustrated by Alê Abreu. This is supported by the works of Ariés (1981), Castro (1994), Coelho (2000), Petit (2009), Hunt (2010), Collot (2015), Siqueira (2013, 2016, 2018), among others. It is also based on some guiding principles, such as the right to literature and the humanizing function of literary art, defended by Candido (1972, 2004); and on the dialogical conception of reading proposed by Carvalhaes (2006). One of the most significant results is that the illustrated books analyzed use semiotic signs that restore to children the right to read canonical works; preserve the literariness of the work; and can contribute to the humanization of child readers through alterity.