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In:The Moving Canon(s) of Slavic Children’s Literature
Edited by Mateusz Swietlicki, Dorota Michułka and Zofia Zasacka
[Children’s Literature, Culture, and Cognition 20] 2026
► pp. 56–70

Chapter 3
Ukrainian literary classics and the young reader

Overcoming the distance

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Abstract
This chapter examines Ukrainian literary classics as part of the school canon from the publishing and media perspectives. Situating the discussion within contemporary canon theory and debates on decolonization, it considers how children’s classics are shaped by institutional, educational, and sociocultural forces. The chapter analyzes selected reeditions and transmedia adaptations of works by canonical Ukrainian authors, focusing on narrative, visual, and design strategies which are used to ‘refresh’ and modernize their writings for contemporary young audiences. Particular attention is paid to the tensions between preservation and transformation, as well as to the risks of simplification or massification inherent in adaptation processes. The study concludes by emphasizing the need to assess communicative effectiveness through empirical reader-response and reception-oriented research.
Article outline
  • Ukrainian classics in the school canon
  • Creative cases of modernizing classics from Ukrainian publishers
  • Transmedia storytelling as a strategy for reviving literary classics
  • Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
References (30)
References
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Filmography
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