Abstract: | This paper of a critic who 'is looking from outside' is necessarily shaped by ideas that pertain to the critical discussion of children's literature in Western countries, but it is also shaped by the author's experiences with African literature and Africa. First, an attempt is made to sketch out some of the specific problems of a literature for younger readers in a country like Nigeria. Thereafter a few sales figures for children's books are meant to give an idea of the size of the book market in this field, and finally, an analysis of a few books written by Cyprian Ekwensi serves to illustrate the phenomenon of a literature for younger readers, revealing the educative function of this literature and the attempts at solving some problems with regard to the role of language, literature as educational propaganda, and the role of the writer. - Notes. |