À la rencontre des arrière-grands-parents dans la littérature jeunesse

Demographics clearly show the evolution of the life expectancy and the increase in the number of elderly in France. Unusual just a few decades ago, the four-generation family has become a 21st century social phenomenon; the great-grandparents are more and more in the families, however little is known about them. Because books for children convey messages of education, standards and values, we shall examine the representation of the great-grandparents, which is proposed. The study examines 31 books for children from 2 to 11 years old. In children's literature, the great-grandparents look like grandparents but so much older than them. They are described as very nice people but physically tired. They present a lot of movement disorders, sensory and cognitive difficulties and some of them are affected by debilitating diseases. Thus, in these books, the great-grandparents often confront the child with death and help in understanding the life cycle, the human mortality, the mourning and the memory.