Reading and Literature in childhood: From a humanizing art to a fundamental child’s right

Abstract

Using Cândido’s concept of Literature as a reference — as a humanizing art and an inalienable right of every human being — this article aims to highlight the role of Children’s Literature as a tool for freedom, just as essential to the child, and to consider literary reading as a free and pleasurable experience inherent to their personal and social — if not holistic or integral — development. By treating it as a right, alongside Education, the article discusses aspects of its aesthetic and formative value in fostering creative, critical, and reflective thinking in its potential readers, as well as in their understanding of the world, of themselves, and of Others. Based on a theoretical-critical overview of these concepts and the humanizing potential of Literature, the paper analyzes early childhood educators’ conceptions, aiming to discuss the limits and potential of reading and literary formation from an early age. It advocates for a structured approach and awareness among these professionals as mediators, responsible both for selecting texts based on quality criteria and for the purposes with which they present them.