Children's Books Research Articles

Children's books for research-based outreach and science communication pedagogy

Abstract. Academics are encouraged to integrate scientific research with the public, but methods of doing so are often transient and insubstantial. Students and future scientists also require training and exposure to the importance of public outreach and science communication within STEM fields. Here, I describe two projects that provide a template for using children's books as an efficient and impactful means of science communication. The first part describes an international research project that culminates in the writing, illustration, and distribution of a children's book. Farzana’s Journey is a children's book based on multidisciplinary research on the pairing of the physical and human systems in coastal Bangladesh. Written, illustrated, and freely distributed in the Bengali language, the book is a place-based tool to teach rural Bangladesh communities about the natural world and our scientific findings. Through the development and distribution of the book, we encouraged collaboration and public outreach with scientists, artists, and students concerned with enhancing educational and social opportunities in rural communities. We also ensure a physical tie to the community after the project's culmination. The book sparks children’s curiosity in the local environment while also demonstrating a means for sustainable educational outreach with impoverished, remote communities. The second part of the paper provides an overview of how this type of science communication can be taught to early-career scientists. Students in an intensive learning undergraduate course produce children's books about a scientific concept or process. I describe the curricular context and layout of the course, the assessment of deliverables, and the impacts of the science storytelling process as a model for teaching communication literacy. Together, these efforts demonstrate the potential impact of children's books on science communication efforts among students, early-career scientists, and local communities.

If we see it, we can be it: a diverse representation of doctors in children's books

If we see it, we can be it: a diverse representation of doctors in children's books

The role of fairy tale publications in children's reading circle

In the article, using the example of editions of Ch. Perrault examines the peculiarities of publishing fairy tales for children as an indicator of the refraction of the traditional concept of children's books in tsarist Russia and changes in publishing policy in connection with the formation of new pedagogical and literary and artistic trends. The study is based on scientific methods, such as observation, bibliographic heuristics, historiographic, comparative-historical analysis. Editions of fairy tales by Sh. Perrault, as an object of research, is considered in the historical development of Soviet book publishing, which acted under the influence of ideological factors and social conditions that determined the subject matter, types of publications, their translations and design. The features of the stages of development of children's book publishing are characterized from the point of view of pedagogical and publishing priorities, the competencies of translators and artists, indirectly influencing printing resources. The subject area of the study includes modern editions of fairy tales by Sh. Perrault in the form of separate and special issues addressed to children with different reading abilities and aesthetic perception. The history of the publication of Charles Perrault's fairy tales is analyzed as a new type of publication that correspond to general political attitudes that make them legitimate for the perception of a children's reader. The article highlights the publications characteristic of each stage, which have developed under the influence of discussions about the combination of traditional and innovative views on the functions of a children's book: from edifying and moralizing to soviet propaganda and modern cultural and educational.

Utilizing Collage Technique in Children's Stories Illustrations

The illustrations in children's stories are an important means of helping the child to understand the written text, develop his aesthetic sense, stir his imagination and gain various types of knowledge. Given the importance and the influence that the story has on a child, stories and story illustrations should receive special attention, both aesthetically and conceptually, in the field of child education. The importance of this study lies in detecting the role of visual arts in presenting delightful stories to the child via the collage technique. This study aims to present a new style for children's stories graphic techniques via the collage style. It also aims at helping children in understanding the stories they read and encouraging them to own these stories. In addition, it aims at creating job opportunities for visual arts graduates by paving the way for them to practice working in the fields of collage and illustrations. The study used the descriptive method and the quasi-experimental design to conduct artistic applications on visual arts students to employ the collage technique in drawing children's stories. The research findings show that collage technique has fine arts potential that can enrich the art students’ creativity in presenting delightful illustrations of children's stories. The results of the study also confirmed the importance of the artist's caring about story illustrations stories as an educational and pedagogical tool for the child. Thus, the study recommends strongly that writing and illustrating children stories be a cooperative work between the writer and the painter due to the importance of their roles. The study also recommends that the academic visual arts programs provide their graduates with the knowledge and the skills related to children's stories illustrations to fill the gap in this field. Keywords: Collage Art. Book Drawing. Fantasy in Stories- illustration Characteristics- Children's Books.

The Continuation of Traditional Chinese Culture in Education: A Case Study of Children's Original Picture Books

Under the call of the times for the inheritance and protection of the excellent traditional Chinese culture, children's cultural picture books provide new possibilities and innovative strategies for learning in the preschool stage. At the same time, in the context of digital education transformation, comprehensive analysis and combination of preschool cultural education and technology innovation and integration is the call of the new era, but also for the physical and mental development of young children and the cultivation of national pride has indelible significance. Therefore, this study focuses on children's cultural picture books, and innovates the form of point-to-point reading to explore the innovation and feasibility of its integration with cultural education, with the aim of providing new innovative forms and practical ways for cultural teaching for young children. The integration of culture and technology with audio cultural picture books and picture book teaching is not only a new attempt of digital teaching, but also an innovation to protect and pass on Chinese culture and to cultivate the cultural background of young children, which is of social and educational significance.

Book Creation to Support English Language Learning

AbstractAs part of a large study aiming to understand how kindergarten children in Colombia used translanguaging during independent play, Paula (the teacher) along with Dr. Moses (lead researcher) co‐designed a 6‐week play‐based intervention that included a variety of learning experiences such as partner reading, small‐group reading, and supported play, among others. In this guide, we describe the step‐by‐step process followed to design the children's book the students used during instruction to learn the desired language, vocabulary, and interactions. Additionally, we provide suggestions on how to create a book that fits your teaching goals.

PENINGKATAN LITERASI DAN MUTU PENDIDIKAN BAGI MASYARAKAT DESA SUKARAGAM

The problems that occur in Sukaragam Village, Serang Baru Subdistrict, namely the lack of children's books or lessons that make their interest in reading and basic education decrease and the lack of parental knowledge of how to distinguish true and false information or news. Thus, the implementation of community service in the programme to improve literacy and the quality of education for elementary school children in Sukaragam Village. The community service method applies community education in the form of socialisation in the form of seminars. The success of this activity is to contribute to improving the overall quality of life of the people of Sukaragam Village. With increased literacy and quality of education, the community will have better access to information, opportunities, and resources that can improve the welfare and quality of life of the community.

Update and validation of the early word perception test in the Spanish language

IntroductionIt is extremely important to assess speech perception skills in children with hearing loss, since these skills are essential to guide the rehabilitation process. ObjectiveUpdate and validate the Early Speech Perception test in Spanish in normal-hearing children. MethodDifferent drawings were selected from children's books used daily in the work of teachers and speech therapists. 69 children aged between 3 and 8 years old participated in the study, divided into 6 groups by age (group 1, 3 years of age (n = 13); group 2, 4 years of age (n = 15); group 3, 5 years of age (n = 12); group 4, 6 years of age (n = 8); group 5, 7 years of age (n = 10); group 6, 8 years of age (n = 11)). For each category of the test, the children had to name and point to the corresponding drawing. ResultsThe difference between age and gender groups was statistically evaluated. For the naming phase, a significant difference was observed between groups 1 and group 5; and between group 1 and group 6. For the pointing phase there was no difference between the groups, and in all groups, there was a score greater than 98%. In relation to gender, there was no difference between the groups. ConclusionThe present study demonstrates that the material developed to assess auditory reception in normal-hearing children from 3 to 8 years old is appropriate.

Conversions of Jacob Hodges: Religion, Race, and Labor in Prison Reform Literature

Abstract: Born to a free Black family, Jack Hodges (ca. 1763–1842) was arrested for the murder of a white man in 1819 and served a term at New York's Auburn State Prison, the world-famous prototype of industrial prison discipline, where he experienced a life-altering Christian conversion. Also known as Jacob Hodges, he became one of the nineteenth century's most famous incarcerated African Americans, appearing in popular crime writing, children's books, reform society reports, and spiritual biographies. Today, however, Hodges is unacknowledged, even among scholars of race and prison studies. My interdisciplinary essay advances both historical and interpretive claims. I reconstruct Hodges's life in the crucible of evangelical Protestantism, racial assimilation, and industrial market capitalism, which worked together, I argue, to shape the ideology of the modern prison system. I also analyze the vivid fantasies about Hodges that circulated in reformist literature. Unlike the majority of captives, whose struggles left only faint traces in the archives, Hodges was neither the object of dehumanizing violence nor the subject of coldly rational surveillance; he was listened to, admired, and treated with sympathy. As a case study in evangelical reformism's sentimental, possessive style of love, the literature about Hodges poses special challenges and opportunities for abolitionist reading.

Transnational Books for Children 1750–1900: Producers, Consumers, Encounters ed. by Charlotte Appel, Nina Christensen, and M. O. Grenby (review)

Transnational Books for Children 1750–1900: Producers, Consumers, Encounters ed. by Charlotte Appel, Nina Christensen, and M. O. Grenby (review)

Eliminating bias: enhancing children's book recommendation using a hybrid model of graph convolutional networks and neural matrix factorization.

Managing user bias in large-scale user review data is a significant challenge in optimizing children's book recommendation systems. To tackle this issue, this study introduces a novel hybrid model that combines graph convolutional networks (GCN) based on bipartite graphs and neural matrix factorization (NMF). This model aims to enhance the precision and efficiency of children's book recommendations by accurately capturing user biases. In this model, the complex interactions between users and books are modeled as a bipartite graph, with the users' book ratings serving as the weights of the edges. Through GCN and NMF, we can delve into the structure of the graph and the behavioral patterns of users, more accurately identify and address user biases, and predict their future behaviors. Compared to traditional recommendation systems, our hybrid model excels in handling large-scale user review data. Experimental results confirm that our model has significantly improved in terms of recommendation accuracy and scalability, positively contributing to the advancement of children's book recommendation systems.

Media exposure and preschoolers' social-cognitive development.

Exposure to narratives may have beneficial effects on children's social-cognitive development because narratives provide information about the social world and often require social understanding for story comprehension. In the current study, we examined the influence of narratives presented via different media (books, audiobooks, TV/films) on theory-of-mind performance and mental verb comprehension in a sample of 114 three- to six-year-old preschool children. Parents' reports on the number of (children's) books at home, the overall duration of TV/film and audio media exposure, the frequency of shared book reading, watching children's TV/films and audiobook listening, and parent-child discussions about media content were collected. Children's theory-of-mind performance and mental verb comprehension were measured as dependent variables. When gender, age, language skills and parental education were controlled, only the number of children's books, shared book reading frequency, audio-media exposure and audiobook usage significantly predicted children's theory-of-mind scores. None of the media exposure or the parent-child discussion variables had significant incremental effects above the family and child characteristics on mental verb comprehension.

From the History of Publishing Children s Literature in Azerbaijan

The article is devoted to the historical study of the publication of children's literature in Azerbaijan. Among the Azerbaijani enlighteners in the development of children's literature, the important role of A. A. Bakikhanov, M. Sh. Vazeh, M. F. Akhundov, G. B. Zakir, H. B. Zardabi and S. A. Shirvani. It also systematizes information about the initiatives taken in the field of children's literature in the first half of the XIX century, in the second half of the XIX century, about the publication of books, albeit with great difficulty. The researcher also provides extensive information that the increase in the number of printing houses at the beginning of the XX century created favorable conditions for the publication of children's books. The article also provides detailed information about the books written by the intelligentsia of that time in different years, and the printing houses that published them.

Mapping awareness-raising and capacity-building materials on developmental disabilities for non-specialists: a review of the academic and grey literature.

Most children with developmental disabilities (DD), such as intellectual disabilities and autism, live in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where services are usually limited. Various governmental, non-governmental and research organisations in LMICs have developed awareness-raising campaigns and training and education resources on DD in childhood relevant to LMICs. This study aimed to comprehensively search and review freely available materials in the academic and grey literature, aimed at awareness raising, training and education on DD among non-specialist professionals and community members in LMICs. We consulted 183 experts, conducted key-word searches in five academic databases, four grey-literature databases and seventeen customised Google search engines. Following initial screening, we manually searched relevant systematic reviewsand lists of resources and conducted forwards and backwards citation checks of included articles. We identified 7327 articles and resources after deduplication. We then used a rigorous multi-step screening process to select 78 training resources on DD relevant to LMICs, of which 43 aimed at informing and/or raising awareness DD, 16 highlighted specific strategies for staff in health settings and 19 in education settings. Our mapping analysis revealed that a wealth of materials is available for both global and local use, including comics, children's books, flyers, posters, fact sheets, blogs, videos, websites pages, social media channels, handbooks and self-education guides, and training programmes or sessions. Twelve resources were developed for cross-continental or global use in LMICs, 19 were developed for and/or used in Africa, 23 in Asia, 24 in Latin America. Most resources were developed within the context where they were intended to be used. Identified gaps included a limited range of resources on intellectual disabilities, manuals for actively delivering training to staff in education settings and resources targeted at eastern European LMICs: future intervention development and adaptation efforts should address such gaps, to ensure capacity building materials exist for a sufficient variety of DD, settings and geographical areas. Beyond identifying these gaps, the value of the review lies in the compilation of summary tables of information on all freely available resources found, to support their selection and use in wider contexts. Information on the resource content, country of original development and copyright is provided to facilitate resource sharing and uptake.

Ecocriticism and Children's Literature: Dr. Seuss's The Lorax as an Example

Ecocriticism gained a growing interest from researchers and writers on different levels to examine the significance of this newly added area of literary studies. It enabled the readers to understand their society's environmental issues in a better way and encouraged them to deal with them positively. It also drew attention to the different negative behaviors and attitudes towards nature to the limit that may damage natural resources and affect future generations. Furthermore, ecocriticism played a vital role in restructuring a more balanced and harmonious relationship between human and non-human beings within society by building a peaceful coexistence among all members of society. This paper offers the necessary theoretical framework for ecocriticism and examines its mechanisms to analyze literary texts. The paper also testifies the relationship between ecocriticism and children's literature to show the best ways of using these children's books to build a robust background for those young generations and to form their attitudes toward natural resources for the betterment of all in a more sustainable society. Finally, the paper examines Dr. Seuss's The Lorax as an example of a children's book with many environmental references and educational lessons. The Lorax's story revolves around the Once-ler, who destroys the balance between nature and other factors through his insistence on mass-producing useless and environmentally harmful goods. Ecocritics used this story to expose different messages about environmental responsibility and the consequences of reckless attitudes toward natural resources. In this way, the paper encourages the importance of further studies on ecocriticism and the further enhancement of using children's books to increase environmental awareness.

Learning how to read children's books in the digital society: Book trailers as an educational tool in higher education

The new multimodal reading ecosystem currently contributes to the proposal of forms of mediation that take into account the hybridization of digital and analog paradigms. In this context, illustrated books intended for children can constitute an area of interest, since their discursive and aesthetic codes contribute to the development of multimodal reading strategies and to the positioning of the child reader before the information, at the same time that they generate pleasant reading and knowledge-building experiences. Accordingly, today’s publishing market requires a learning process from the mediator in order to develop the corresponding strategies with which to approach children’s books. Previous research has focused on the book trailer as a virtual epitext for the promotion of publications, and it has analyzed the identity of this tool to demonstrate its effectiveness in the promotion of reading. Along these lines, and with the purpose of verifying how this tool behaves in the introduction of future teachers to children’s books, an intervention is proposed that is based on the creation of book trailers. A total of 860 students from the Early Childhood and Primary Education teaching degree programs participated in the intervention. It included qualitative research that analyzed the documents/epitexts created by the students, written reflections within the framework of this project and the discourse collected a posteriori in interviews and discussion groups on the experience. The results reveal the potential that creating book trailers has for introducing teacher trainees to illustrated children’s books within the framework of the digital society.

Vision and Mission: To Restore and Work on a Narrative About South Africa and the Netherlands for Our (Grand)Children and Future Generations

This article shows a contrast between the morality of South Africa and the Netherlands. The latest example is the courtcase before the International Court of Justice in The Hague. The Netherlands is conspicuously keeping its distance. This may be explained by the neo-colonial attitude of the Netherlands during the period when it colonised, enslaved, looted and pillaged South Africa, imposed indentured labour and established apartheid. This article attempts to initiate a new narrative that transcends this sickening history, a narrative intended for South African and Dutch great-grandchildren. We see this narrative as a start for rewriting history, but also for writing children's books and creating restorative art expressions.

The Image of Nursing in Children's Books.

By Marni Kellogg, PhD, RN, CPN, CNE, and Mary R. McDonough, PhD, RN, C-EFM, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, [email protected]. The authors have no financial interests or relationships to disclose.

Children's literature: reading strategies and receptivity in early childhood

To ensure students' mastery of reading and writing constitutes one of the biggest challenges currently facing Brazilian public schools. Data from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (Pirls, 2021) estimate that around 40% of Brazilian students in the 4th year of elementary school do not master basic reading skills. Despite the complex nature of the theme, when specifically dealing with young children, literary books play a very relevant role in this process, since research indicates that they constitute a kind of gateway to the world of literature and reading. In this sense, the present article presents the results of an action investigation that aimed to analyze the reception of children's literature books for preschoolers in the age range of 4 to 5 years old, from a preschool, in the city of Presidente Prudente/SP. For the development of the research, we provide children with high-quality literature books – awarded by the Jabuti Prize, which is the most prestigious literary award in Brazil. Group organization was utilized to have a bigger “control” of children's speech and press conferences with the purpose of understanding what criteria the children use when choosing the books. Reading circles were utilized as a methodology to initiate a dialogue within the group and the sharing of impressions about the chosen books. Three elements emerged as central in the choice of books by the children: the cover as the most decisive element, the illustrations and the connections that they made between the book, its characters and the pre-existing knowledge they already had. The work demonstrates that it is necessary to provide opportunities in schools for practices that involve children more, that encourage them to choose what they want to read.

Engaging with neuroanatomy through creative projects

ABSTRACT Students often struggle to learn material that requires extensive memorization (e.g., neuroanatomy) in courses like Sensation & Perception and Cognitive Neuroscience, though such foundational material is integral to understanding more complex concepts in the course. The “Creative Project” (CP) assignment is designed to engage students in learning this material. Alone or in small teams, students generate creative work on neuroanatomy content. Capitalizing on principles learning theories as well as universal design and inclusive pedagogy, the CP addresses the primary barriers to learning this content. Across two semesters, 70 students submitted a variety of projects: animations, songs, videos, children's books, activity books (e.g., crossword, word search & mazes), 3D models, poems, board games, online games, poetry, and visual artwork. Alumni/ae co-authors of this manuscript provide our feedback and reflection on this assignment from when we completed it. We found the project fun and engaging. We enjoyed the freedom and control, though some of us also found the open-endedness of the assignment to be daunting. We all recommended it be assigned in more courses, even outside of Neuroscience. Here, we describe how the CP can be used in a variety of courses, and what issues to consider when assigning it.