The research was based on the recognition of the importance of public early childhood education and
focused on the debate about the teaching of literary reading in the early years of elementary school in
the public education system. It reflected on the positive results of introducing literary reading in the early
grades of elementary school. Results from national (SAEB/ANA, 2016) and international (PISA, 2018)
exams attest to the lack of access to literary texts and point to a gap in reading skills in Brazilian Basic
Education. In this sense, a theoretical study was carried out through bibliographic research that
investigated which elements present in children's and young adult literature can be used to awaken the
interest in reading among children in the early years of Elementary School, in order to contribute to their
initiation into reading and their personal development. The theoretical investigation was linked to
practical activities in a teaching project, approved by the Plataforma Brasil, by an ethics committee,
under opinion number 6.108.338. It was carried out in a school of the Amazonas state public school
system. The title of this intervention is: Children's and Young Adult Literature – Reading Beyond the
Classroom. Its proposal aimed to introduce Children's and Young Adult Literature in the early years of
Elementary School. Its planning included the connection between school, family, and the literary
community (local Children's and Young Adult Literature authors). 24 children participated in the
intervention, the majority of whom were male, mixed-race, and 2 were indigenous. There were also 24
guardians and 2 local writers. The participating children were between 8 and 9 years old, and most of
them came from low-income families, which made it difficult for them to access literary books before
school age. However, with the implementation of the project, it was possible for many children to read
up to 20 books with their families during the intervention, through book loans from the library. To support
the research, authors who are experts on these subjects were sought out, including Ariès (1986);
Colomer (2003); Zilberman (2009); Cosson (2021). The theoretical part of the research presents the
beginning of the discussion about the emergence of Children's Literature in Europe and its arrival in
Brazil. It also discusses the relationship between the production of Children's and Young Adult Literature
and the student's formative process, characterizing the non-pragmatic aspect that Children's and Young
Adult Literature has as an element in the holistic formation of students as individuals. The social role of
Children's and Young Adult Literature (anti-racist and anti-prejudice literature) is also discussed through
the insertion of African and indigenous literature and its representation in the midst of white literature, in
Portuguese language classes, and possibilities for interdisciplinary study. Although this is not the main
focus of the research, it was considered highly relevant to emphasize the importance of children having
access to this literature. During the intervention process, positive and negative points were listed, among
them the difficulties for the guardians to follow their children's readings, mainly due to the need for the
guardians to work outside the home. However, as positive points, the school community, the parents of
the students and the local writers were enthusiastic about the intervention to help "in small steps" in this
initiation of the students' reading formation.
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