Children’s literature has been undeservedly neglected by universities which offer
undergraduate foreign language courses in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Knowledge of children’s
literature is particularly relevant to the prospective teachers of a foreign language (L2) who will work
with learners ranging from pre-school to high school. As future teachers and instructors of L2, they
might use texts from children’s literature in the classroom. They can thus assist learners to approach
learning of L2 in a way similar to learning their L1 – through reading or listening to various literary
texts - and foster students’ reading habits in general. Knowledge of children’s literature texts in L2 can
also assist teachers to develop critical insights about the learners’ language learning process, which
can enhance their language teaching competencies. Using transactional activities for communicative
purposes is one way of teaching a foreign language. However, the teacher’s familiarity with children’s
literature texts appropriate for the learners’ level can be viewed as a significant asset in assisting
learners to attain competences in second language acquisition. As learners have access to different
writing styles, texts, or vocabulary in L2, it can also boost their imagination as well as contribute to the
development of their critical reading, listening and writing skills through sharing their feelings and
ideas and through involvement in other communicative activities based on the texts they read.
Moreover, many books from this genre have been adapted for the film, theatre or musical productions,
which could also be used to explore more works by other authors for children. This paper presents
arguments exemplified by evidence from teaching students at the English Language Department at the
International University of Sarajevo to reaffirm the importance of inclusion of children’s literature in
undergraduate courses of foreign languages in Bosnia and Herzegovina and elsewhere where it is not
offered in the curricula.
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