In the heat of the moment: Brazilian children s literature criticism in the 1970 s/80 s is the title of the present thesis about Brazilian literary criticism studies between 1970 and 1980 about children s literature. The thesis analyzes the key role of the theory authors during those remarkable decades known as the boom of the Brazilian children s literature. Adopting the bibliographical review method, the thesis investigates theory authors from Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and the south part of Brazil, where significant theoretical studies about children s literature were produced back in the 1970 s and 1980 s. The thesis demonstrates how this particular generation of literary critics contributes as founder of the new Brazilian children s literature, side by side with the fiction writers of the same period.