when the childhood is over and when maturity starts is not clear not cut. He adds it is probably true that childhood never ends
26
. Even though the limit is blurred, there is one thing confirmed by the experts
saying that children are not the miniature of adults or the small version of adults. Children differ from adults in experiences not in species, in degree but not in kind. In
short, it can be said that the definition of ‘children’ is not universally fixed. Developmentally and biologically, childhood refers to the period between
infancy and adulthood. In the legal system of many countries like Indonesia, there is an age of majority when childhood officially ends and a person legally becomes an
adult. The ages range from 16 to 21, with 18 being the most common. Therefore, to take a stand, this research refers to the age range of 0-18 yeas old to address
‘children’.
B. Child Reader
The unclear-cut limit when the childhood ends might be the cause why some books intended for adults become children’s books and vice versa. Importantly, Jan
suggests that child ren’s literature is intended for children. However, most
importantly, it has to be in children’s side
27
. A child reader, as well as the other readers, is then understood as a reader who
has specific knowledge, comprehension skills, and tastes as a child. As this readers are usually categorized by the western discourse of human development based on the
range of ages to gain inappropriate reading materials; however, in post-developmental
26
Oberstein in Hunt, The Companion 18.
27
See Isobel Jan in Purbani, Ideologi 26.
point of view, their skills and ages are not classified for thought and intellectuality including the comprehension, tastes, or reading experiences are learned and trained
instead of evolutionary. As a result, in this study, the readers of Judy Blume imply the readers who
have taste for exploring bad realities, who take pleasures and have the ability to make sense of the portrayal of bad mannerism, and who are not annoyed by the
inexperience to the exposure of difficult knowledge.
C. Children’s Literature
Many experts, in short, believe Children’s Literature is the oral and written
literary texts whose implied readers are those who enjoy the pleasures and can make sense to have children point of views. It can be created both by adults and children
themselves. Children’s literature is commonly characterized by the fictional characters which are close to children’s life. It does not only use children’s voice,
children’s literature can also have adults as its characters. The settings are also taken from the places that children are familiar with as well as imaginative places they want
to visit. The themes in children’s literature include the problems and the interests of childhood
28
. However, since the difference bet
ween ‘adult’ and ‘children’ is understood to be less significant,
it is noted that the pleasures of children’s literature are essentially the pleasures of all literature. As well as the adult
literature, children’s literature also demands enjoyments, knowledge, and understanding. Therefore, sophisticated or
complex themes and issues can be one of the characteristics of this literature.
28
Purbani, Ideologi 22.
