It’s hard to think about what the future might hold for children’s literature when the scope for what it could become is monumental. I personally think it will keep evolving and adapting and could potentially become a bigger market than it already is. Every year there appears to be new trends emerging and the range of popular genres grows to include more than it did the previous year. With my experience of working with children at times it was so hard to keep up with the demand of what they wanted. Children are oddly specific about what they like and don’t and this translates over to what is being published. When I started in 2014 it was difficult to find good mystery novels, but cut to today and there’s so many I don’t know where to start! Humorous stories will always have a place within any library as well as the sad stories that early teens gravitate towards. But what it comes down to is that the future of children’s literature will be shaped by the children themselves…all we need to do is listen. 

As the world becomes more open to discussing issues and things that may have been more taboo in the past it is natural that kids want to understand and learn about these topics. Gender diversity and cultural diversity is an area of life that is no longer hidden and interweaving these stories into accessible literature is on the rise. Not just having these characters as the friend or the side act to the main protagonist and giving them a platform to shine allows kids to understand more perspectives in the world. Books like Alex Gino’s Melissa and Scott Stuart’s My Shadow is Pink allows the reader to step into these characters and understand that we are all different.

Another trend that I believe will only grow is the publication of more graphic novels and comic books. These have been on the rise since Raina Telgemeier Smile and the new adaptations of the classic Babysitter Club stories. Graphic novels and illustrated novels like David Walliams allow them to be accessed by all levels of reader. Australia is still a little behind on the publication of graphic novels but this will only grow over the coming years. 

What it comes down to is that the future of children’s literature will be drivers of what they wish to read and that in turn will be reflected by what is being put out there. Kids are quick to adapt and quick to change, their tastes develop as they grow older but really all they want are good stories that they can connect to on a personal level.