Much of children folklore does not fit into schemes of normative socialization. The play and lore of childhood is often disruptive, wayward, and irrational. It reacts to the conventional expectations of development, and much of its meaning is lost in psychological and sociological examinations that privilege sober and sensible adult outcomes. Avoiding a narrow definition of its subject, Children s Folklore collects a wide range of resources and examples of approaches for studying, researching, and teaching. These range from surveys of the history and literature of children s folklore and methods of field research to studies of genres of lore and attempts to catch contemporary children s play and games.
Contributions variably demonstrate contextual and textual ways of studying the folklore of children.