Exemplary picturebooks about democratic principles

Abstract

Picturebooks are media resources that combine illustrations and texts to reach young children with entertainment and messages about life. They can support children’s development of understanding of democratic principles. For this paper, picturebooks from Sweden and the US with content involving democratic principles were analysed with the goal of inquiring into specifically selected picturebooks through text- and illustration-based methods (iconotext). Ten picturebooks published since 2000 served as exemplars of five democratic principles: (a) equity/equality, (b) respect and appreciation for diversity, (c) rights, (d) freedom, and (e) participation. These picturebooks were examined with regard to power relations between groups or individuals. Dominance was expressed in the form of race differentiation and separation, gender dominance, and the limitation of others’ rights by force. Picturebooks from Sweden and the US differed with regard to individualism vs. collectivism. The picturebooks included contexts in which democratic solutions were sought and obtained; through read alouds they can present young children with models of decision making for their own lives.

Keywords:

• Democratic principles
• diversity
• equity/equality
• freedom
• participation
• picturebooks, rights

REVIEWING EDITOR:

• Xin Yun Hu
• The Education University of Hong Kong
• Hong Kong

SUBJECTS:

• Childhood
• Early Years
• Primary/Elementary Education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Getahun Yacob Abraham

Getahun Yacob Abraham is an Associate Professor at Borås University. He is the coordinator of the master’s program in educational work, teaches theory and method courses at different levels, and is involved in staff training, research, and internationalisation programs. He previously worked for Swedish Save the Children/UNHCR in Russia, Kosvo and Angola.

Mary Alice Barksdale

Mary Alice Barksdale is an Emeritus professor, having retired from a faculty position in teacher preparation and literacy in the School of Education at Virginia Tech. Mary Alice had Fulbright Scholar awards in Russia and South Africa, and engaged in a USAID teacher education project in Malawi at Domasi College. Getahun and Mary Alice have worked collaboratively since 2009, publishing Literacy and democracy in South African primary schools and Democracy in picturebooks in Sweden and the US: 2000–2020. This paper represents an extension and more critical analysis related to our research on how democracy is presented in picturebooks.