Special Topics: Issue 43

Taiwan Children's Literature 

In recent years, the study of children's literature and culture has emerged as an important interdisciplinary field that encompasses history, society, literature, art, psychology, education, philosophy, technology and more. This is due to perspectives on children's literature as not only a form of creative writing and reading practice, but also a cultural activity deeply connected to the construction of childhood, social imagination, knowledge production, and the evolution of media. Whether through critical reflections on the historical significance of childhood or examinations of how children's literature has responded to new media, environmental change, and globalization, the field of research continues to evolve in dynamic and inclusive ways.

Against this broader background, Taiwan children's literature has flourished since the mid-20th century in multiple genres, including children's poetry, fairy tales, children's prose, and young adult fiction. With visual storytelling surging in popularity since the beginning of the 21st century and picture books becoming mainstream in the publishing market, these developments have facilitated the circulation of Taiwan literature abroad and its recognition by major international awards. In 2024, acclaimed Taiwanese writer Wu Ming-yi released The Three-Legged Mongoose and the Giant, a picture book written and illustrated by the author for upper-elementary and junior-high readers. The work was later recommended on the Sharing Good Reads (好書大家讀) booklist. This exemplifies the phenomenon known as “border-crossings,” in which an established literary figure engages in creative writing through the medium of picture books—a development that has attracted particular attention. Together, such trends highlight the multifaceted imagination that defines children's literature in the 21st century.

In light of these trends, this issue of the Journal of Taiwan Literature Studies welcomes submissions with the theme of "Taiwan Children's Literature." Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Childhood Culture and Subject Formation
    Analyses of how Taiwan children's literature shapes, reflects, or influences cultural conceptions of childhood and the formation of children's subjectivity.
2. Media Technology and Literary Innovation
    Discussions of the convergence between children's literature and digital technology, with a particular focus on how emerging media, such as interactive e-books, augmented-reality applications, and social media, redefine contemporary literary imagination and reading experiences.
3. Identity Issues and Social Critiques 

Critical reflections on how Taiwan children's literature represents or challenges social issues such as national identity, gender construction, body politics, disability, ethnic diversity, and identity fluidity.

We warmly invite scholars and researchers to submit their work and join ongoing dialogues to advance the theoretical and critical inquiry into Taiwan children's literature.

Submission Deadline: June 30, 2026