This year's Dutch Children's Book Week is centred around the theme of 'Superheroes: daring to be brave'. It's a theme that should appeal to young readers all over the world.

All children have their own literary heroes, be it a super-being, a brave child or an animal. A real hero has no father or mother, at most they have parents at a distance.

Wednesday afternoons, when Dutch primary schools are closed, are usually very busy in children's libraries, even more so now that Children's Book Week has begun. If you ask, every child can name his or her favourite characters. Sometimes these fictional individuals become heroes of a kind.

Today's global hero is, of course, Harry Potter, at least among children in their early teens. Younger kids are still very fond of the high-spirited Swedish girl Pippi Longstocking, while Dutch toddlers admire a wise and sociable frog named Frog (Kikker), created by Max Velthuijs.

Human heroes
Research into the characteristics of literary heroes is rare, according to youth literature professor Helma van Lierop, who hesitates to "say with any certainty which kind of characters are perceived as heroes by children. One thing is certain, though: child characters with special abilities, like Harry Potter and Pippi Longstocking, who are able and daring enough to do more than normal children, are very likely to be seen as heroes."

That is, as long as the hero uses his super powers for Good. And you should be able to identify with him or her as a reader. Or you should be able to see your own doubts and fears reflected in your hero: they too are human, but in the end they take action or have the courage to express themselves regardless of what others think.

This is illustrated by a 10-year-old girl in the library who described her favourite book: "It was about a girl who died. She was a kind of hero. She had cancer, she never gave up and she was very brave in everything."

Independence
Helma van Lierop says independent-minded characters like Pluk van de Petteflet (created by Dutch author Annie M.G. Schmidt) or Pippi often become younger children's idols. "Children think that they would like to be as brave as their heroes." Pluk van de Petteflet is a small boy who lives all by himself, on the top floor of an apartment block, who goes out with his little crane lorry to solve people's and animals' problems. Adult help is the last thing he needs.

An 11-year-old girl in the library said, "You don't really need super power to be a hero. You can also use your own qualities to do things and be a hero to other people."

Animals
There are still differences between girls' and boys' books, although in the Netherlands they are becoming less marked. There are still clear differences though between the heroes of younger and older children.

As Professor Van Lierop can confirm from her own experience, animals can be heroes to many children: "My younger son was a huge fan of Frog. He thought that Frog was a great character because of the mix of courage, sociability towards friends, and occasional stupidity. You can identify with that."

Social aspects like these matter to younger children, Ms Van Lierop concludes. "With older children it's more about their own identity.'' 

It seems logical. As children get older they want to make their own choices, independent of adults, who are often irritating or nasty anyway. And why should you listen to them anyway? They often act irresponsibly. The heroes in books might set a better example...

(rk/mw/imm)