Abstract

Children’s literature is an indispensable educational tool that helps children develops essential competencies. It provides new knowledge about various life issues, enriches children’s vocabulary, offers emotional support, and enhances communication skills. Traditional children’s literature exposes children to circumstances they may face, such as stories of morality, education, ethics, and other realistic circumstances. However, current research shows a significant shift in children’s literature in the new millennium. This shift has been occasioned by changes in social conditions and beliefs, technological advancements, and globalization. The effective changes in children’s literature in the new millennium are evident in the emphasis on bold themes that are introduced through fantasy stories, realistic fiction, and classic stories. This review establishes how children’s literature in the new millennium introduces new revolutionary themes that put emphasis on issues such as gender equality and sex education, including transgender education. Hence this review is crucial because it assesses the literature in global and the Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC) children’s literature and provides recommendations for further research in the Arab context. It highlights the importance of how children’s literature in the new millennium should enable children to understand new social realities and promote moral values, and to tie them to modern educational needs.

Key words: Arab children’s literature, children’s literature, the Gulf Cooperation Council, the new millennium, revolutionary themes.