Growing Up with Words: The Evolution and Impact of Young Adult and Children’s Literature through Animation Films

Abstract

Young adult and children’s literature have consistently functioned as formative instruments in the socialisation and education of emerging readers, guiding their concepts of identity, ethics, and the workings of society. Rooted in didactic moral fables—think Aesop or earlier religious texts—books for the young were primarily vehicles of instruction until the nineteenth-century shift toward imaginative narratives exemplified by Lewis Carroll’s Alice and Alcott’s Little Women. By contrast, the Young Adult label gained momentum in mid-twentieth-century America, when stories such as S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders began to articulate the tensions and possibilities of adolescence, including class conflict and self-discovery. In their current iteration, both YA and children’s books confront urgent global problems such as systemic racism, mental health stigma, and climate collapse; parallel campaigns like #WeNeedDiverseBooks insist that these conversations be anchored in representative, equitable stories. The present inquiry, therefore, charts the genres’ historical arcs, thematic turnings, and cultural weight, arguing that they cultivate empathy, self-awareness, and a sense of collective responsibility among readers. A related section draws on animated cinema, examining how films such as Inside Out and Zootopia translate visual allegory into accessible commentary on emotion and bias. Collectively, this study positions contemporary children’s and YA literature as resilient channels for intellectual and emotional development, equipping young people to navigate an unpredictable future.