IDENTITY FORMATION IN THE CRUCIBLE OF THE WORLD OF STORIES: THE FORMATIVE VALUES OF CHILDREN'S LITERATURE IN BILINGUAL COMMUNICATION CONTEXTS

<doi>10.24250/jpe/SI/2026/MBI/AOS/</doi>

Abstract

Children's literature occupies a unique position at the
intersection of language development, emotional growth,
and identity formation. Within bilingual educational
contexts, literary narratives may acquire additional
significance, functioning as pedagogical resources and as
symbolic spaces in which linguistic belonging and cultural
continuity are negotiated. This article examines the
formative value of children's literature through a
theoretical and applied perspective that integrates
narrative theory, developmental psychology,
communication studies, and bilingual education. Drawing
upon the works of Bruner, Vygotsky, Bettelheim,
Nikolajeva, Cummins, and Krashen, the study explores the
role of literary narratives in supporting meaning-making,
emotional externalization, communicative development,
and identity construction. Particular attention is devoted to
Romanian minority education in Hungary, where children's
literature may contribute to the development of an affective
relationship with Romanian as a heritage language. The
theoretical discussion is complemented by a case study
based on the literary narrative ”A Carriage of One's
Own”, (Birescu Iacob & Olteanu-Sturza, 2025), selected
from the volume ”Stories from Romanian Homes”,
illustrating how the same story may generate different
forms of participation, interpretation, and identity work
across developmental stages. The findings suggest that the
educational value of children's literature resides not
primarily in the transmission of cultural content, but in its
capacity to create symbolic environments where
communication, emotion, and belonging become interconnected. Within such environments, identity is not
directly taught, but gradually constructed through
meaningful narrative experience.