Innocence in Children's Literature
If nothing else, kids are innocent—and as they grow up, they lose that innocence. This exploration of innocence is one of the defining characteristics of children's literature. How innocent are we, exactly? What's good about that innocence? What's dangerous about it? Children's literature seeks to answer these questions by showing kids out in a strange world, encountering new things and new people and figuring out how to handle it all.
Chew on This
Little Red Cap is one innocent little girl. She's the protagonist of the story "Little Red Cap" (also known as "Little Red Riding Hood") in the Grimms' Fairytales.
Violet, one of the lucky kids who gets to visit Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, is as innocent as they come. She thinks that just because she wants something, she can have it. Check out this quotation (Quote #5) from Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.