We might ask of religion as it appears in children's liter-ature whether it enlarges or constricts our view of the cos-mos.

no single religious or sec-ular view gives the whole picture, which must be seen froma distance, comprehensively.

Religion here functions as both his-torical connection and a mode of self-realization,

cheerfully blends pagan divine attributes with thoseof the Christian God and the Virgin Mary, showing linksbetween earlier and later religious belief and even blendingthem into fantastic fusions.

Meni Kanatsoulishows the persistence of pagan imagery and thought inostensibly Christian Greece

"Kipling's Spiritual Paradoxes for ImperialChildren"

James Whitlark

upports a given social structure and a specific statusquo.

attract children through sto-ries of heroism and adventure

se of religion itself as a didactic device

"religion is what providesthe necessary mental and spiritual security to bring orderout of the chaos that modern writers are concerned with

Such speculative fiction lets us explore the moraland theological questions that humans have posed for mil-lennia, offering new mythologies to imagine old moraldilemmas

From the Romantic movement on, however, overt andeven covert advocacy of religion (particularly Christianity)in secular children's literature has become increasingly sus-pect and subject to censorship

CharlotteYonge, Louisa May Alcott, Charles Kingslev, and GeorgeMacDonald

teach them what is consideredessential to their well-bein

The creative processrivals the authority and power of the gods and the cosmos,yet it also pays homage to them

Ever since the Puritans codified the doctrine that chil-dren, no less than adults, need to read the Bible and under-stand what it says, religion and religious issues have beenpart of children's literature.

I asked them whether I might not lodge in the house that night, to which they answered, “What, will you love English men still?”

they could not refrain nor restrain themselves from talking to her on what they well knew she would fain be silent.