So today we're going to talk about children's literature and the role it plays in society. Throughout history adults have used the power of stories to entertain and amuse their children. But stories are not used merely to entertain youngsters, they have a significant educational purpose. They serve to teach the moral values of their society. In sociological terms, stories are one of the means by which children are socialized. How does this work in practice! Well, it often makes use of heroes, the characters in the stories who the children will admire and want to be like. The heroes of children's stories, therefore, exemplify the qualities valued by that society - they will typically demonstrate courage in the face of difficulty, honesty, consideration for others, loyalty to their family and friends, a respect for work and so on. You can see this happening from the fables of ancient societies through fairy tales and folk tales right up to modern day children's stories. For example, the hard-working ant in Aesop's fable is shown to succeed in comparison with the grasshopper who spends the summer singing and has nothing to eat when winter comes. Similarly, it is Cinderella, the honest, hard-working sister, who wins the Prince rather than her cruel, lazy step-sisters. However, there is still usually something to entertain children, even in the most morally instructive of stories.