The triangle of literature consists of the author, the work and the reader. With Hans Robert Jauss's theory of reception, the reader becomes an active participant in this triangle. The horizon of expectations stands out as a fundamental concept, i.e. what the child as a reader expects from a literary work. According to the typology of readers, we distinguish between explicit and implicit readers, and this division is important to teachers when interpreting literary works. As a reader, a child spends most of his time in primary school reading required school books. One of these books that stands out is Stories from the Past by Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić. The story of Stribor's Forest thematizes the power of motherly love. The empirical part of the thesis answered questions about the difference between student reception of literary characters with regard to age and gender. Fourth and eighth grade students from one school in Zadar participated in the research. Qualitatively, by processing the questionnaire, it was concluded that fourth grade students read more than eighth grade students. Also, female students read more than male students. Considering the characterization of the characters of Stribor's Forest, most of the questionnaire referred to the students' attitudes towards them. The results showed that when it came to socializing with the characters in this story, the students chose female characters to a greater extent. Grandfathers, as a prototype of wisdom, identify with Stribor regardless of age and gender, and equally recognize the malice of the daughter-in-law. The statements about the daughter-in-law's malice are surprising. There was a difference with regard to age in the belief in the miraculous elements of a fairy tale. Fourth graders are more interested in other works by this author than eighth graders. All students show affection for Malik Tintilinić and most identify him with people from their lives. Also, it is clear that all students love a happy ending.