This article examines the origins and evolution of children’s literature in Russia from the 18th century to the early 19th century. It analyzes the influence of European literary models, spiritual heritage, and the educational reforms of Peter I, Catherine II, and their contemporaries. Special attention is paid to the transformation of pedagogical and literary ideals, the impact of sentimentalism and Enlightenment ideas on children's reading habits, and the gradual emergence of a national literary and educational tradition in Russia. The article highlights the transition from mere imitation of foreign examples to the formation of an independent Russian children’s literature identity rooted in national culture and values.  

Children’s literature in Russia, Russian educational reforms, Peter the Great and education, Catherine II and children’s literature, Sentimentalism in Russian literature, Enlightenment ideas in education, Russian national literature, 18th-century Russian pedagogy, Moral education in Russia, Russian literary heritage for children.

Zvereva, N. D. Istoriya detskoy literatury [History of Children's Literature]. Moscow: Prosveshchenie, 1991. p. 12.

Ibid., p. 15.

Zrelishche prirody i khudozhestv [Spectacle of Nature and the Arts]. St. Petersburg: Academy of Sciences, 1784–1789.

Rousseau, J.-J. Émile, or On Education. Moscow, 1967.

Betskoy, I. I. General Plan for the Foundling Home. St. Petersburg, 1764.

Catherine II. Prince Chlorus, Fevey the Red Sun // Collected Works. Vol. 9. St. Petersburg, 1907.

Korovina, V. Ya. Russian Literature of the 18th Century. Moscow: Prosveshchenie, 1987. p. 203.

Volynsky. Russian Reading, or Lessons for the Benefit of Youth. St. Petersburg, 1816.

History of Russian Pedagogy, ed. by S. I. Hessen. Moscow, 1993. p. 89.

Fedorov, A. P. Novikov and Schwartz: An Experiment in Popular Education in the 18th Century. Moscow, 1955.