Vanessa Joosen is Associate Professor of English Literature at the University of Antwerp, Belgium, where she specializes in children’s literature studies, fairy-tale studies and age studies.

• Introduction1. Defining adulthood in children’s books2. Grown-up children? The adult protagonist in children’s literature 3. Hair, hair, everywhere: The adult body in children’s literature4. The disdainful adult: Childism in children’s literature 5. From writing block to wonderful friend: The adult writer as character in children’s literature6. Second childhoods: The elderly adult in children’s literatureBibliographyIndex

Vanessa Joosen is Associate Professor of English Literature at the University of Antwerp, Belgium, where she specializes in children’s literature studies, fairy-tale studies and age studies.

• Introduction1. Defining adulthood in children’s books2. Grown-up children? The adult protagonist in children’s literature 3. Hair, hair, everywhere: The adult body in children’s literature4. The disdainful adult: Childism in children’s literature 5. From writing block to wonderful friend: The adult writer as character in children’s literature6. Second childhoods: The elderly adult in children’s literatureBibliographyIndex

Vanessa Joosen is Associate Professor of English Literature at the University of Antwerp, Belgium, where she specializes in children’s literature studies, fairy-tale studies and age studies.

• Introduction1. Defining adulthood in children’s books2. Grown-up children? The adult protagonist in children’s literature 3. Hair, hair, everywhere: The adult body in children’s literature4. The disdainful adult: Childism in children’s literature 5. From writing block to wonderful friend: The adult writer as character in children’s literature6. Second childhoods: The elderly adult in children’s literatureBibliographyIndex