: Re: What is the effect on the young reader when there is no "Happy Ending" in a story for children? It is a common practice for a story for children to have a happy ending. Would it be considered

@Gonzalez219

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There are definitely examples of children's stories having unhappy endings.

Stories in the horror genre, including those written for kids, tend to have unhappy endings, especially when meant as a cautionary tale. Even R.L. Stine books, which are pretty silly, often end badly for protagonists, not to mention a lot of Choose-Your-Own-Adventures.

In Fantasia, the dinosaurs died after a drought.

In The Lorax, while the ending is hopeful, the world is still ruined.

There are also stories about kids dealing with death/grief.

As for the psychological effect, I doubt it would traumatize a kid, unless it was extremely gruesome to begin with. Anecdotally, I enjoyed many books and movies from my childhood that had unhappy endings, though whether an unhappy ending will fit a story is another issue, and it doesn't necessarily depend on whether it's for kids or adults.

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