Children's literature has, for a variety of reasons, long been ignored by foreign language and literature departments at university level, despite both the recent broadening of the canon and the immediate and obvious relevance of this branch of literature for future school teachers. This article argues that children's literature should play a more prominent role in the university curriculum and, using examples, shows how its potential can be explored in literature courses with and without an exclusive focus on children's literature, and in seminars on didactics.