O'Sullivan traces the field's history from the "internationalism" of the post-war era—the idea of a supra-national "world republic of childhood"—to modern comparative criticism. The book is essential for understanding how globalization impacts children's culture and reveals that the exchange of texts between countries is often highly imbalanced.

Reviewers highlight the book's ability to challenge the assumption that children's literature is genuinely international, noting that the United States exports far more than it imports.

: Analyzes how children's books relate to other texts and media.