Imaginary Geography of Children’s Books: Adding One More Dimension
Jackson, K. M., & West, M. I. (Eds.). (2022). Storybook worlds made real: Essays on the places inspired by children’s narratives. McFarland.
Abstract
This review paper explores the 2022 collection Storybook Worlds Made Real: Essays on the Places Inspired by Children’s Narratives, edited by Kathy Merlock Jackson and Mark I. West. The 18 chapters of the collection cover a range of theme parks and literary playgrounds related to children’s literature, spanning Europe, America, and, to a lesser extent, Asia. The chapters combine historical and theoretical approaches with detailed descriptions of the parks and engaging first-person travel narratives. Inspired by diverse book characters – from German fairy-tale gnomes through Peter Rabbit and Alice to Pippi Longstocking, Moomins, and ubiquitous Harry Potter – numerous theme parks became a fertile ground for discussing many important topics, including children’s imagination, reading encouragement, authenticity, simulation, commercialisation, Americanisation, Disneyfication, and Pottermania.
Keywords
children’s literature; commercialisation; imaginary spaces; literary playgrounds; theme parks
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independent scholar United States
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6187-8074
Olga Bukhina – MA, a translator, writer, children’s books specialist, and independent scholar. Her research interests include contemporary American and Eastern European children’s literature, the depiction of orphans, death, and city landscapes in children’s books, and translation studies. Contact: bukhina.olga@gmail.com.
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