Review: Storying Plants in Australian Children’s and Young Adult Literature

Abstract

In lieu of an abstract: In a largely anthropocentric view of history, plants and other non-human beings occupy a position of marginality (Marder). While plants remain central in narratives meant for children and young adults, they serve a subservient role in the storyline which tends to focus on child characters (Höing). Thus, approaching youth literature from the perspective of critical plant studies can provide intriguing insights on how meanings are created and imposed onto the natural world. The 13 essays in the volume provide a comprehensive understanding of colonial, postcolonial, and Indigenous approaches to plants and their representation in Australian youth literature, as well as transnational perspectives from Poland, Ukraine, and Aotearoa New Zealand.

Keywords

• critical plant studies
• plants in youth literature
• australian youth literature
• australian indigenous