Adam Wajrak’s Novel “Lolek” as a Literary Medium for Empathy Education in Early School-Age Children

Abstract

This article discusses education through children’s literature, which leads to the development of empathetic attitudes in early school-age readers. The theoretical foundation is provided by works in the fields of pedagogy (Martin L. Hoffman, David Howe) and literary studies (Anna Łebkowska, Jarosław Płuciennik, Elżbieta Tabakowska). Based on this, the author attempts to build an argument about the important role of literature in developing an empathetic attitude. The research aims to identify features of literary works for children that can foster an empathetic attitude in young readers. The research was based on the interpretation of a selected literary text that has a dog as a protagonist and its reception by a virtual early school-age reader. A qualitative approach was used, including document analysis (literary work). The author used a model of a child reader aged approximately 7 to 9, with their typical receptive abilities. An exploration of children’s literature has revealed that Adam Wajrak’s novel Lolek possesses literary features that could be used in empathetic education. Wajrak’s novel meets the criteria for literature that can shape an empathetic attitude in children.