Contar e encantar: a literatura infantil como caminho para o desenvolvimento integral na educação infantil

Abstract

This study examines the importance of children’s literature as a pathway to comprehensive development in Early Childhood Education, understanding it as a formative instrument that supports children’s cognitive, socio-emotional, linguistic, and social growth. This bibliographic research analyzes how literature contributes to the learning of reading, the construction of reading preferences, and the development of critical thinking, while simultaneously promoting values such as empathy, respect, and coexistence. The study also emphasizes the educator’s role as a mediator of literary practices. Drawing on authors such as Nelly Coelho (2000) and Regina Zilberman (1987), it highlights the need for sensitive and intentional mediation that enables meaningful aesthetic experiences. Finally, the research discusses the social function of literature in the contemporary school context, reaffirming its relevance for a humanizing and holistic education.