METAPHOR AS A MEANS OF CREATING AN ARTISTIC IMAGE IN CHILDREN’S LITERATURE

Abstract

The article examines the role of metaphorical constructs in children’s literature using examples from the fairy tales Alice in Wonderland, The Little Prince, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Peter Pan, and Winnie-the-Pooh. It demonstrates that metaphor is a key means of artistic expression, shaping the imaginative world of a work and ensuring the integrity of the fairy tale space. Particular attention is paid to the functions of metaphor in creating expressive characters, conveying emotional and evaluative content, and modeling plot situations accessible to children. The analysis identifies the main types of metaphors characteristic of children’s fairy tales, as well as their lexical, semantic, and stylistic features. It concludes that metaphor is important not only as a means of artistic expression but also as a means of cognitive and educational influence on children.