Journal of Children's Literature Studies

A Psychological Analysis of the Adolescent Subject in the Novel “Call Me Ziba” Based on Alfred Adler’s Individual Psychology

Fardin Hosseinpanahi; Anvar Dastbaz; Abbas Vesali mazin

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 19 May 2026

https://doi.org/10.22099/jcls.2025.54308.2129

Abstract

Psychological studies of literature play a significant role in analyzing the deeper layers of fictional characters, and in this regard, Alfred Adler’s individual psychology, by ... Read More

"Representing the Third Space in Teenage Migration Literature: A Study of Our Home by Cynthia Kadohata from the Perspective of Homi K. Bhabha"

Fezzeh Khataminia; Fahime Imani

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 11 July 2026

https://doi.org/10.22099/jcls.2025.54220.2126

Abstract

AbstractMigration literature is one of the significant branches of postcolonial literature, offering a space for representing the lived experiences of migrants within diverse cultural ... Read More

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Authority and Agency in Two Persian Translations of Alice Adventures in Wonderland

Razieh Rabbani Yekta; Fereshteh Abdoli Borazjani

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 21 December 2025

https://doi.org/10.22099/jcls.2025.54499.2137

Abstract

This research investigates how the concepts of “authority” and “child agency” are conveyed in two Persian translations of the classic novel Alice’s Adventures ... Read More

Study and analysis of non-verbal components and descriptive actions in the story "Khomra" by Houshang Moradi Kermani.

Farzaneh Foroozani; Zahra Dehghan

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 05 January 2026

https://doi.org/10.22099/jcls.2025.53124.2100

Abstract

Analyzing and examining literary works of fiction as a mirror of human social life is an efficient method for assessing the quality of these works. The study of nonverbal behaviors, ... Read More

An Intertextual Analysis of The Dragon’s Palace Based on Gérard Genette’s Theory: From Nangijala to Parseh

Atefeh Jamali; Maryam Rahbani

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 04 January 2026

https://doi.org/10.22099/jcls.2025.54507.2138

Abstract

Intertextuality in young adult literature is not merely a literary technique but also a cultural and educational strategy. By connecting adolescents to their cultural heritage, global ... Read More Intertextuality in young adult literature is not merely a literary technique but also a cultural and educational strategy. By connecting adolescents to their cultural heritage, global texts, and contemporary media, this approach transforms them into active readers. From this perspective, young adult fiction serves purposes beyond entertainment, becoming a medium for fostering identity, critical thinking, and creativity.In this comparative, qualitative study based on textual analysis, the intertextual relations between the Persian novel The Dragon’s Palace (Kākh-e Azhdahā) by Arman Aryan and the classic novel The Brothers Lionheart (translated to The Valley of the Roses[in Persian]) by Astrid Lindgren are examined through the lens of Gérard Genette’s theory. Both narratives follow the shared pattern of “loss or catastrophe as a passage to another world” and include several narrative structures such as familial bonds, the motif of “initial misrecognition of the traitor,” and the archetype of the “cottage or storytelling old woman.”However, Aryan, through creative transformation and localization of symbols, names, and settings, reshapes Lindgren’s fantasy framework into a mythic-cultural hypertext. From Genette’s perspective, this process may be defined as a form of serious transposition accompanied by ludic playfulness—that is, preserving the foundational structure of the hypotext while expanding its meaning and nationalizing its themes. Moreover, the findings indicate that the translated hypotext Aryan read during adolescence played a formative role in shaping his hypertext.Thus, The Dragon’s Palace is not a mere imitation but a creative reimagining that redefines the universality of fantasy models within a localized and historically grounded context. The results contribute to a deeper understanding of intertextual adaptation in young adult literature and the role of childhood readings in the creation of culturally specific hypertexts.

A Conceptual Framework for the Philosophical-Educational Capacities of Picture Storybooks

Nahme Shafiee aporvari; Morad Yari Dehnavi; Seyyed Hamidreza Alavi; Amin Izadpanah

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 11 July 2026

https://doi.org/10.22099/jcls.2025.54690.2141

Abstract

Picture storybooks, as one of children's earliest engagements with conceptual understanding, function not only as educational and entertaining media but also as profound vehicles for ... Read More Picture storybooks, as one of children's earliest engagements with conceptual understanding, function not only as educational and entertaining media but also as profound vehicles for conveying complex ideas. This qualitative study investigates the inherent philosophical-educational capacities of such texts by analyzing 15 notable picture storybooks (4 Iranian and 11 international). Data were collected through a “philosophical-educational reading and analysis” of both texts and illustrations and were examined using the “reflective intellectual content analysis” method in conjunction with Corbin's (2014) three-stage coding process (open, axial, and selective). The analytical procedure, which commenced with 102 initial codes and was refined through 15 components, ultimately yielded four overarching, interconnected capacities that constitute the conceptual framework of this study. These capacities are: (1) Dialectical Thinking—the ability to understand phenomena through contradictions and shifts in perspective; (2) Creative Agency—the capacity to engage in purposeful and transformative action; (3) Relational Ethics—the practice of interaction grounded in empathy and mutual responsibility; and (4) Existential Inquiry—the critical examination of human identity and our place in the world. The findings demonstrate that these four capacities, as an integrated foundation, are consistently present across diverse picture storybooks and underpin their profound philosophical-educational dimensions. This framework offers practical implications for authors and illustrators in the creation, evaluation, and deliberate selection of picture storybooks, for specialists in children’s literature and curriculum design, and for the facilitation of philosophical dialogues with children. Furthermore, it advances the recognition of the philosophical-educational potential of these texts beyond their entertainment value within both research and educational contexts.

Translating Humorous Comics for Child and Adolescent Audiences: Intersemiotic Considerations and Cultural Adaptation Strategies in the Persian Renditions of The Adventures of Tintin and Gil Jourda

Nosrat Hejazi

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 06 January 2026

https://doi.org/10.22099/jcls.2025.54430.2132

Abstract

This study investigates the translation of humorous comics for child and adolescent audiences, focusing on cultural adaptation strategies and intersemiotic translation in selected volumes ... Read More This study investigates the translation of humorous comics for child and adolescent audiences, focusing on cultural adaptation strategies and intersemiotic translation in selected volumes of The Adventures of Tintin and Gil Jourdan rendered into Persian. The central concern is how a translator can preserve formal-textual cohesion in visual elements that carry culturally embedded meanings_ especially when such elements may be unfamiliar, inappropriate, or even taboo in the target culture. To address this, the research corpus examines intersemiotic translation strategies and the treatment of paratextual and graphic elements in Persian renditions of Red Rackham’s Treasure and The Castafiore Emerald, as well as The Diamonds and The Lost Submarine. The analysis draws on Kaindl’s concept of multimodality in intersemiotic translation, Kress and van Leeuwen’s cultural semiotics, and Skacelová’s notions of visual syntax and graphic material cohesion.Findings align with Cohn’s visual language theory, including his frameworks of visual lexicon, cognitive morphemes, and narrative grammar, confirming that comic translation for young readers involves complex cultural mediation far beyond linguistic transfer. The core challenge lies not only in conveying verbal-visual elements but in reengineering the intersemiotic cohesion of the source text across cultural, semiotic, and graphic-structural dimensions. Cultural adaptation for this sensitive audience requires careful monitoring of content reinterpretation of embedded visual codes, and graphic adjustments aligned with translation norms.Ultimately, successful translation demands a dual commitment to cultural domestication and respectful foreignization. The translator’s role as cultural mediator must be both faithful and creatively engineered, with later stages of the translation process oriented toward the experiential and socio-cognitive reception of young readers. Future research may explore genre-specific adaptation across cultures, including superhero comics and Japanese manga, or comparative studies of Persian, Arabic, and Turkish translations to map broader cultural expectations and ideological frameworks.

Humorous techniques in the poetry collections "taranehaye Nini kuchuloo" and "atal matal tarane" (Naser Keshavarz) for children in the "A" age group

sepideh rajabi dehkordi; Kamran Heidari farsani; asghar rezapurian

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 11 July 2026

https://doi.org/10.22099/jcls.2026.54973.2147

Abstract

Considering the lullaby whispers, the importance of rhymes, and attention to rhythmic texts, children's poetry of the "A" age group is considered one of the most important literary ... Read More

Morphological Analysis of the Three-Counsel Test in Iranian Folktales

Abolfazl Horri

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 31 May 2026

https://doi.org/10.22099/jcls.2026.54939.2146

Abstract

This article aims to provide a morphological analysis of the “three-counsel test” pattern in Iranian folktales. The central problem of the study is to explain the narrative ... Read More

The Representation of the Child Archetype as a Liminal Subject in the Poetry of Sohrab Sepehri

Narges Oskouie

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 20 April 2026

https://doi.org/10.22099/jcls.2026.55349.2153

Abstract

In the poetic universe of Sepehri, the “child” is not merely a remnant of a stage of life or a nostalgic image of the past; rather, it appears as a symbolic and liminal ... Read More In the poetic universe of Sepehri, the “child” is not merely a remnant of a stage of life or a nostalgic image of the past; rather, it appears as a symbolic and liminal presence formed at the threshold between consciousness and the unconscious, nature and culture, language and silence, and mythic time and historical time. Drawing on the theoretical framework of Carl Gustav Jung’s analytical psychology and the concept of liminality, this study reexamines the child archetype in Sepehri’s poetry and seeks to demonstrate that, within this poetic world, the child is not a biological stage but a symbolic structure and a liminal position through which it becomes possible to break with the stabilized order of meaning and to experience an alternative horizon of perception. Using a descriptive–analytical method and focusing on elements such as immediate perception, perceptual simplicity, the suspension of meaning, and the subject’s relationship with nature, the study shows that the child archetype in Sepehri’s poetry activates a logic of liminality and leads to the suspension of entrenched dualities within human experience. The findings suggest that Sepehri represents the child not as a fixed identity or merely a moral symbol, but as an open, unfinished, and continually becoming subject—one situated at the threshold of psychological and existential transformation and capable of enabling a renewed connection with the truth of being. From this perspective, the child archetype in Sepehri’s poetry becomes a fundamental mechanism for reconfiguring the relationship between human beings and the world, playing a central role in shaping both the semantic horizon and the aesthetic logic of his poetry., this interpretation may offer a theoretical perspective for studies in children’s literature and enter into productive dialogue with contemporary approaches in the field that emphasize children’s agency, the fluidity of identity, and the crossing of fixed boundaries.

Mapping the Intellectual Structure and Thematic Dynamics of the Journal of Children's Literature Studies

Marzieh Morovati

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 13 September 2026

https://doi.org/10.22099/jcls.2026.55829.2170

Abstract

Given the importance of identifying thematic patterns governing scientific publications, the present study aimed to investigate the intellectual structure and thematic dynamics of the ... Read More

“Educational Reframing of the Concepts of Masnavi Ma’navi for Adolescents Based on the Brainling Model

Zahra Jahani; Shima Ebrahimi

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 16 May 2026

https://doi.org/10.22099/jcls.2026.54808.2145

Abstract

Given that personality develops during adolescence and that culture plays a crucial role in this process, the use of literary texts, particularly the stories of Masnavi-ye Ma’navi, ... Read More

Applying Grice’s Cooperative Principle in Analyzing the Dialogues and Semantic System of the Collection Stories of Imam Reza (A.S.) by Mojgan Sheikhi

faroogh nemati

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 30 June 2026

https://doi.org/10.22099/jcls.2026.56184.2181

Abstract

The present study aims to examine the communicative patterns, semantic structure, and modes of conversational interaction in the collection Stories of Imam Reza (A.S.) by Mojgan Sheikhi, ... Read More The present study aims to examine the communicative patterns, semantic structure, and modes of conversational interaction in the collection Stories of Imam Reza (A.S.) by Mojgan Sheikhi, based on Grice’s Cooperative Principle. Grice’s theory, with its emphasis on the four fundamental maxims of Quantity, Quality, Relation, and Manner, provides an effective framework for analyzing dialogues and uncovering implicatures in narrative texts—particularly in religious children’s literature, where clarity, coherence, and effective transmission of educational concepts are of considerable importance. Using a pragmatic discourse-analysis approach and through close examination of the dialogues among characters, this study evaluates the extent to which the conversational maxims are observed or flouted, and how such patterns contribute to narrative progression and the transmission of Razavi teachings.The results indicate that the author largely adheres to the cooperative maxims by employing simple, comprehensible language appropriate to the cognitive abilities of young readers. Nevertheless, instances of deliberately flouted maxims—especially Relation and Quantity—are observed, typically used to create narrative tension, highlight moral messages, or draw the reader’s attention to key pedagogical points. The analysis of conversational implicatures reveals that Sheikhi effectively utilizes inferential meaning to convey religious concepts indirectly, enabling Razavi messages to become firmly established in the child’s mind without linguistic complexity yet with notable semantic depth. The findings demonstrate that applying Grice’s principles in religious children’s literature can produce narratives that combine attractiveness and readability with dialogic coherence and educational efficacy. These results may serve as a useful guide for authors, critics, and scholars of children’s literature within the domain of religious narratives.

Traumatic Bonding and Psychological Development of Belle in the Animated Film Beauty and the Beast: An Examination of , Anxious Attachment ,Stockholm Syndrome and Individuation Archetypes

ghazal sadat pournesaei

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 04 July 2026

https://doi.org/10.22099/jcls.2026.53986.2119

Abstract

The present study aimed to provide a psychological analysis of Belle’s character and her relationship with the Beast in the animated film . Using a qualitative approach grounded ... Read More The present study aimed to provide a psychological analysis of Belle’s character and her relationship with the Beast in the animated film . Using a qualitative approach grounded in content analysis, the study examined key scenes, dialogues, behavioral patterns, and emotional indicators through three theoretical frameworks: Stockholm syndrome, attachment theory, and archetypal individuation. Research data were collected through repeated viewing of the film, identification of pivotal scenes, and coding of relevant psychological concepts.The findings revealed that the initial relationship between Belle and the Beast contains characteristics associated with traumatic bonding, the threat–protection cycle, and cognitive restructuring. Several mechanisms linked to Stockholm syndrome, including defensive empathy, selective memory, and the reorganization of threat perception, were identifiable in Belle’s emotional transformation. However, analysis of the narrative trajectory demonstrated that Belle gradually moves beyond fear-based dependency toward psychological agency, conscious choice, and personal growth.The results further indicated that insecure attachment experiences, feelings of difference and social isolation, and the role of reversed caregiving in Belle’s relationship with her father constitute significant psychological factors underlying her emotional bond with the Beast. At a deeper symbolic level, archetypal analysis suggested that the Beast functions as a representation of the “shadow,” activating Belle’s confrontation with rejected and unconscious aspects of the psyche. Her gradual movement toward acceptance, empathy, and love was found to parallel the process of individuation and the development of the animus.Overall, the study suggests that the narrative of Beauty and the Beast cannot be reduced merely to a romantic relationship or interpreted solely as a simplistic representation of Stockholm syndrome. Rather, the film presents a complex psychological portrayal of the interaction between traumatic bonding, attachment dynamics, cognitive reconstruction, and psychological transformation within the process of individuation.

A Comparative Analysis of Kamel Kilani's Madinat al-Nuhas and Its Source in One Thousand and One Nights An Application of Linda Hutcheon's Adaptation Theory

مجید محمدی بایزیدی; fateme sahrayi sarmazde

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 18 July 2026

https://doi.org/10.22099/jcls.2026.55831.2171

Abstract

Adaptation, a pervasive practice in cultural production, has long been evaluated through the lens of fidelity, often relegating the adapted work and its adapter to a derivative status. ... Read More

Analysis of the Representation of the Sacred in Razavi Children’s and Young Adult Stories Based on Mircea Eliade’s Theory

ahmad khalili; ahmad ghanipour

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 29 September 2026

https://doi.org/10.22099/jcls.2026.56036.2177

Abstract

Mircea Eliade’s theory of the sacred is grounded in the distinction between the sacred and the profane and explains such concepts as hierophany, sacred space, and sacred time ... Read More

Environmental content analysis of the fourth grade Persian textbook

Ebrahim Zaheri abdevand

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 13 September 2026

https://doi.org/10.22099/jcls.2026.52976.2096

Abstract

Considering the role of education in increasing environmental literacy and preventing environmental degradation, changes have been made in the content of textbooks, especially in the ... Read More

From House Architecture to Homemaking: An Analysis of the Representation of Home in Ahmadreza Ahmadi’s Children’s and Young Adult Works, 1969–2022

Nafiseh Asadi Pak; Susan Habib; Amin Izadpanah

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 23 September 2026

https://doi.org/10.22099/jcls.2026.56276.2183

Abstract

Ahmadreza Ahmadi’s stories for children and young adults are largely shaped around themes of everyday life and children’s interactions with their surroundings, in connection ... Read More

Ecological Romanticism and the Destereotyping of the Wolf Archetype in the Sand Wolf Trilogy

Nahid Dehghani

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 26 September 2026

https://doi.org/10.22099/jcls.2026.55883.2173

Abstract

This study examines the destereotyping of the wolf archetype in Åsa Lind’s The Sand Wolf trilogy. Accompanying a young girl, the Sand Wolf engages her in poetic, emotional, ... Read More This study examines the destereotyping of the wolf archetype in Åsa Lind’s The Sand Wolf trilogy. Accompanying a young girl, the Sand Wolf engages her in poetic, emotional, and philosophical dialogues that encourage questioning and reflection on the mysteries of life. In the trilogy, the wolf—traditionally associated in many ancient narratives with bloodthirstiness, deception, and threat—is transformed into a wise, kind, playful, and vulnerable being. Using a qualitative, descriptive-analytical design and an interpretive-hermeneutic approach, the study draws on the six-phase model of reflexive thematic analysis. Coding of semantic units yielded seven major themes: the wolf as a philosophical and emotional guide; the wolf as a symbol of nature; the disruption of the good/evil binary; the wolf as a mirror of the child’s development; nature as a safe and dynamic space for profound reflection; the wolf as a creative cosmic force; and the fluidization of gender roles and signs. The findings suggest that destereotyping in the trilogy does not so much dissolve the human/nonhuman binary as reverse and reconfigure traditional binaries. Concepts such as “cosmic nourishment,” “doing nothing,” “contemplative stillness,” and acceptance of the “shadow” resonate with ecological and posthumanist values, while poetic language, representations of nature, emotion, wonder, and existential reflection foreground the work’s lyrical dimension. However, the trilogy’s romantic idealism sometimes reduces the complexity of ecosystems, nature’s destructive dimensions, and human tragedy to poetic aesthetics. Thus, although the trilogy offers a poetic critique of modern acceleration and consumerism and provides a constructive model for teaching environmental values to children and adolescents, it requires a critical and balanced reading. Cultural differences among readers should also be considered, as they may shape interpretations of such acts of stereotype disruption.

Narrative Translation in Children's Literature Based on Baker's Model: A Case Study of the Translation of Andersen's Works

Ahmad Iranmanesh; Narjes Asudehgan

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 03 October 2026

https://doi.org/10.22099/jcls.2026.55712.2166

Abstract

Childhood is regarded as one of the most sensitive and crucial stages in the growth and development of every individual, as it is during this time that a child's personality, beliefs, ... Read More

Young Adult Novel as an Open Text for an Open Reader: Interpreting Interwoven Symbols and Signs in Dark Sisters Based on Umberto Eco’s Interpretation Theory

Farzaneh Aghapour

Volume 17, Issue 1 , July 2026, , Pages 1-16

https://doi.org/10.22099/jcls.2025.54077.2122

Abstract

Author, text, and reader are a triad whose relationship has always been matter of consideration throughout the history of literary criticism. The text is nothing more than ... Read More Author, text, and reader are a triad whose relationship has always been matter of consideration throughout the history of literary criticism. The text is nothing more than a set of signs, inviting the reader to construct the meaning of it. One of the controversial issues in reading and understanding the meaning of a text has always been whether the text itself provokes the reader’s act of interpretation or the reader’s own interpretive strategies impose solutions to the problems posed by the text. Before the recent reader-response theories, Umberto Eco in The Role of the Reader (1979), spoke of open and closed texts, defining open text as a text that allows multiple or mediated interpretation by the readers. In contrast, closed texts lead the reader to one correct and valid interpretation.Regarding the diversity of definitions of adolescence, the young adult novel has had various definitions as well, which are in relationship with young audiences. The adolescents define their identity in fluctuation between various binaries and challenge pre-existing meanings with openness. The young adult novel is, consequently, an arena of conflict and redefinition of meanings. It is necessary to reflect the intertwined relationships between signifiers and the signifieds of text in form and content, and to move towards polysemy and acceptance of multiple meanings by involving its audience in reading and interpretation process. Therefore, reader-response theories might be helpful in understanding the relationship between the adolescent reader and the texts written for them.Adolescents need “open texts” that reveal the fluidity of meaning in the play of symbols and signs, also along with the adolescents’ cognitive development, make them more capable of decoding the ambiguity of the text and understanding it. Texts are constructed in reading, and taking the young agent readers into account in process of reading and creation of young adult literature promises to move towards new horizons.

Imagination, an Interdisciplinary Concept in Children’s Literature

Davoud Sparham; Maryam Jalali; Afsoon Amini

Volume 17, Issue 1 , July 2026, , Pages 17-32

https://doi.org/10.22099/jcls.2025.53387.2107

Abstract

Children’s literature, as an audience-oriented field, has consistently sought to address the cognitive, emotional, and cultural needs of children. In contemporary scholarship, ... Read More

The necessity of paying attention to fantasy in Persian textbooks for students

Hojjat allah Omidali; Fatemeh Soltani

Volume 17, Issue 1 , July 2026, , Pages 33-50

https://doi.org/10.22099/jcls.2025.52652.2088

Abstract

A brief look at the Persian books of students of different educational levels shows that attention to the effect of fantasy stories in the education of children and adolescents has ... Read More

The Potentials of Creating an Animated Spin-off from the World of the Iranian Epic with an Emphasis on the Tale of Kok Kouhzad

Alireza Pourshabanan

Volume 17, Issue 1 , July 2026, , Pages 51-66

https://doi.org/10.22099/jcls.2025.52440.2084

Abstract

Spin-off means "taken from" and refers to a novel, radio or television program, computer game, film, or any narrative work that is based on the story or concept of another work. Spin-offs ... Read More

Studying the Effect of Climate on Balochi Children's Songs and Their Educational Functions

Mohammad akbar dehani

Volume 17, Issue 1 , July 2026, , Pages 67-84

https://doi.org/10.22099/jcls.2025.52858.2093

Abstract

Children’s songs and rhymes form a vital part of folk literature. Like other oral traditions, they emerge from the natural environment, climate, and the lived experiences of communities ... Read More

Volume 17 (2026)

Volume 16 (2025)

Volume 15 (2024)

Volume 14 (2023)

Volume 13 (2022)

Volume 12 (2021)

Volume 11 (2020)

Volume 10 (2019)

Volume 9 (2018)

Volume 8 (2017)

Volume 7 (2016)

Volume 6 (2015)

Volume 5 (2014)

Volume 4 (2013)

Volume 3 (2012)

Volume 2 (2011)

Volume 1 (2010)

Main Subjects = children&amp;#039;s Literature Studies

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Main Subjects = children's Literature Studies