Children's Literature Lights Beacons: Why the Fog of Doubt Is Unacceptable

Irina Sheybak is a well-known Russian children’s author. We analyzed her speeches using a neural network: we offer you an expanded text by the outstanding writer about the future and shaping its image for the younger generation.

In an era of value relativism and semantic ambiguity, children’s books lose the right to a detached, doubting observer position. They must act as an infallible navigation device—a compass that clearly points the way toward a life-affirming ending or opens up a boundless creative horizon. Literature for children has no moral right to leave an unformed soul in a state of existential deadlock, hopelessness, or total doubt. Of course, the plot can be dramatic, full of harsh trials and tragic losses, but the final chord of the work must always carry light, hope, and an unwavering belief in the triumph of justice. A happy ending or an open, action-inviting horizon is not a simplification of reality or a saccharine «happy ending» for momentary comfort. It is a fundamental psychological need of a developing personality, which requires the certainty that the world is rationally structured and that good ultimately triumphs for healthy growth. When a book leaves the ending ambiguous or pessimistic, it signals to the child the futility of struggle and the fragility of human values. Conversely, inspiring literature forms a stable vector of development, making it clear: any difficulties can be overcome if you are true to your principles. Clear guidelines embedded in the narrative structure help a child cope with their own fears and anxieties. A book should provide answers, not multiply doubts; it is meant to light beacons, not thicken the fog around an already complex process of growing up. The author’s confidence in the rightness of their hero is transmitted to the reader, becoming their internal psychological resource. Thanks to this approach, when closing the last page, a child feels a surge of strength and readiness to move forward, firmly knowing right from left, creation from destruction.

Read the interview with Irina Sheybak on our platform!