Children's Literature in Austria

Critical interest in juvenile literature in Austria and attempts to improve the quality of reading materials available for children go back at least as far as 1902, when the Vienna Society for Adult Education began publishing an annual list of recommended children's books.¹ This compilation was based on very carefully formulated selection criteria along literary and pedagogic lines. Soon, various other organizations dedicated to the same purpose started to issue similar lists of their own.

At the present time, the market of children's literature in Austria seems to be fairly well dominated by the "Austrian Children's Book Club" Österreichischer Buchklub der Jugend. Founded in 1948, this "non-partisan, mutual-interest" organization has as its express purpose the furthering of good juvenile literature and the elimination of poor reading materials. Since its establishment, the Club has expanded very rapidly and by 1972 reached a total of some 900,000 members, or about 90% of all Austrian school children.

Membership, which is by subscription only, is organized and administered by the teachers in the public schools. This is thought to be the most efficient method for reaching a maximum number of children. For an annual fee of 15 Austrian Schillings (about $1.00), members are entitled to four coupons a year which enable them to purchase four Book Club selections in any book store at a 25% discount. They can choose among about 150 listed titles, both paperback and hardcover, issued by Austrian publishers and comprising both Austrian authors and translations from other countries. In addition, children receive a yearbook, graded according to age level, with excerpts and illustrations from recommended titles, plus illustrated lists of choices which are supposed to help in building a home library. The parents of each member also receive a parents' yearbook, "Your Child Comes to You,"² comparable to a PTA magazine. There are two versions: one for parents of children from four to ten, and the other from ten to fifteen. These publications contain articles on various aspects of raising children, on juvenile reading habits, etc., and include lists of recommended titles, both of literature for the children and on educational problems for the parents.

The founder and central moving force behind this organization is Dr. Richard Bamberger, Professor at the Pedagogical Institute of Vienna, who since 1947 has specialized in children's literature, the development of good reading habits in young people, reading research, and the training of primary teachers in the field of children's literature. Within the framework of the Book Club he established, in 1965, the International Institute for Juvenile Literature and Reading Research,³ of which he is director. The emphasis of the Institute, which is dedicated to theoretical research, is mainly pedagogical. In cooperation with the Book Club, it issues a quarterly periodical, "Young People and Books,"⁴ aimed at and distributed without charge to teachers and administrators of the Book Club. This magazine offers a few professional articles on the teaching of reading and similar topics, news of the Book Club, and a large section of about 50 reviews of new children's books. These reviews are printed on individual detachable index cards to permit easy filing, and provide detailed information as to genre, plot, locale, time period, and age level. Also graded as to literary value, reading difficulty, and plot interest, they provide a very handy tool for school teachers and children's librarians.

In addition, the Institute also issues two other publications. The first of these, Bookbird, is an English-language quarterly which purports to be "an international survey of theoretical and practical work in the service of good books for children and young people, and . . . a medium for introducing books of international interest for people working with children."⁵ In keeping with the main interest of the Institute, the emphasis is largely pedagogical rather than literary. Contributions are written by professors at teacher training institutions in various countries. The magazine reports on trends, activities, and meetings in the field of reading and education all over the world, surveys prize-winning books of various countries, reviews professional literature, etc.

The...