Join Brad Hampshire, Alisha Mallya and Rebecca Nelsey for a detailed examination of Jack in het regenwoud by Marcus Pfister. The Intellectual Circle will be discussing how this popular children’s book is redefining the representation of the pastoral setting in children literature through the story of the little yellow taxi Jack’s voyage into the Brazilian rainforest. We will look at themes such as ecocriticism, urbanature and simple and complex pastorals, drawing on the works of Ashton Nicholls, Henry David Thoreau and Leo Marx, and make comparisons to other popular works of Dutch children’s literature, such as Meneer Tijger wordt wild.

Created and presented by Brad, Alisha & Rebecca.

Part of the Dutch Studies module 'Towards a New Pastoral? Urban Idylls in Contemporary Dutch & Flemish Children's Literature'

University of Sheffield: Dutch