de Mamá Lola), Ida Gramcko (Juan sin Miedo) Reyna Rivas (El perico asado), and Hernán
Hedderich (Trece cuentos para niños de ayer y de hoy and Cuentos de la negra Dominga).
Writers for adults who have written for children include Luis Manuel Urbaneja (Ovejón
Pantaléon y el mulatero), José Rafael Pocaaterra (La I latina, and De cómo Panchito
Mandefue céno con el Niño Jesús), Pedro Emilio Coll (El castillo de Elsinor), Julio
Garmendía (Manzanita), Orlando Araujo (Miguel Vicente, pate caliente and Los Viajes de
Miguel Vicente, pata caliente), and Oscar Guaramato (La niña vegetal).
New authors have appeared, among others Daniel Borbot, Hernán Hedderich
Arismendi, Carlos Izquierdo, Kurusa and his celebrated story La calle es libre, Teresa de
la Parra and her books Memorias de mamá Blanca and Ifigenia. Also outstanding are
Marisa Vannini (El oculto, La fogata) and Francisco Massiani (Piedra del mar).
Rafael Olivares Figueroa and Efraín Subero are notable verse collectors (Antología
infantil para la nueva poesía venezolana and Poesía infantil venezolana). There are many
books of poems written by Fernando Paz Castillo, author of La huerta de Doñana (1920),
regarded by critics as the first book of verses for children: other poets are Aquiles Nazoa,
Manuel Felipe Rugeles, Ana Teresa Hernández, Beatriz Mendoza Sagarzazu, Velia
Bosch, Marita Carrillo, and Jesús Rosas Marcano.
Literature for children has been published by Fundación Eugenio Mendoza (1952–
1960), the Ministry of Education (Tricolor Collection, 1965–1971), and the Instituto
Nacional de Cultura y Bellas Artes (INCIBA). The first specialist children’s book publisher
was Churum-Merú (1967–1968), and in 1977 the Banco del Libro founded Ekaré, its
publishing house. Part of the Ministry of Education, the Centro de Capacitación Docente
‘El Macaro’, a training centre for teachers, has made several collections for children,
among them La voz del maíz. Monte Avila Editores and María di Mase also cater for the
little ones.
Since 1975 public library services have expanded: in 1983 there were 380.
Institutions such as the Banco del Libro have spread their networks in the capital city
and the provinces. Special libraries for children are short-lived, except those backed by
the Banco del Libro. The Banco has also made an important contribution to the criticism
and promotion of children’s literature by publishing the theoretical journal Parapara.
The West IndiesIn the islands of the Caribbean, with the exception of Cuba, the development of
indigenous children’s literature has been slow, mainly because in most of them the
colonial power exercised such a strong influence on the educational system and in the
related area of children’s books that, even thirty years after independence, the influence
has been slow to disappear. Apart from the islands which were colonised by the British,
there are islands where Dutch, French, and American influences are strong. Most
children’s books are imported from Britain, The Netherlands, France, and the USA;
children in the British-colonised islands, for example, read books by Enid Blyton and
W.E.Johns, apparently oblivious of the racist attitudes of these authors, or the
unfamiliar landscapes and situations.
Since 1960, respect for indigenous literatures and languages has begun to make itself
felt. A British West Indian children’s literature has developed, but the books have been
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