Book Characters Research Articles

The Influence of BookTok on Literary Criticisms and Diversity

BookTok, a TikTok community where creators discuss and review books, influences the publishing industry as books that gain popularity on TikTok have seen mainstream success. BookTok is believed to be a diverse space where stories about marginalized identities are celebrated. This is in opposition to the traditional publishing world that is dominated by White, heterosexual, cis-gendered men. However, despite misconceptions, online spaces are notably homogeneous, and TikTok does not appear to diverge from these patterns. By analyzing 55 TikTok videos collected from the BookTok community, this study analyzes the race, gender, and sexual orientation of TikTok creators, authors, and main characters of BookTok books. This article aims to understand the effects social media applications such as TikTok have on the publishing world and to understand BookTok’s relation to diversity. While there is more gender equity among the authors of BookTok than in the traditional publishing world, there continues to be a deficiency in the prevalence of marginalized authors on the platform. Although women creators and women authors are popular on the app, most of these women are White. In addition, the authors who are most discussed on BookTok do not typically include persons of color or members of the LGBTQ+ community. The tendency for authors to write about their own experiences results in there being few characters of color and few books about members of the LGBTQ+ community. Publishing houses should prioritize increased collaboration with authors of color and LGBTQ+ authors, while also using BookTok to promote and advertise their work.

Imaginary Geography of Children’s Books: Adding One More Dimension

This review paper explores the 2022 collection Storybook Worlds Made Real: Essays on the Places Inspired by Children’s Narratives, edited by Kathy Merlock Jackson and Mark I. West. The 18 chapters of the collection cover a range of theme parks and literary playgrounds related to children’s literature, spanning Europe, America, and, to a lesser extent, Asia. The chapters combine historical and theoretical approaches with detailed descriptions of the parks and engaging first-person travel narratives. Inspired by diverse book characters – from German fairy-tale gnomes through Peter Rabbit and Alice to Pippi Longstocking, Moomins, and ubiquitous Harry Potter – numerous theme parks became a fertile ground for discussing many important topics, including children’s imagination, reading encouragement, authenticity, simulation, commercialisation, Americanisation, Disneyfication, and Pottermania.

제주 신화 그림책 속에 묘사된 인물 분석

This study is an analysis of characters that appear in mythological picture books set in Jeju Island. The purpose is to examine how mythological characters that have been handed down for a long time are depicted in picture books aimed at children. For this purpose, seven Jeju mythology picture books were selected and the relationships and mystical abilities of the characters in the narrative were analyzed. As a result of the analysis, firstly, the grandparents who appear in Jeju mythology picture books have existed since the beginning and are expressed as gods who protect humans, and secondly, the couple is a bond made in heaven, giving birth to a new god and becoming the starting point of the narrative. Third, children of gods are born with special abilities, but ordinary humans become gods because of their strength or extreme filial piety toward their parents. Fourth, brothers and sisters grow up competing together and remain forever as gods protecting the earth. The characters in the Jeju mythology picture book, modified to fit the needs of children, were connected between stories and continued the genealogy of the gods, and it was revealed that various family forms existed in the past. And the story that begins with the Jeju language and the place where the Jeju region is described can instill pride and identity in the region in children, so it can be used as an educational medium to expand horizons about the local community in educational settings.

Navigating Adversity: Santiago’s Entrepreneurial Leadership in The Old Man and the Sea

Literature, traditionally viewed as a medium of cultural and historical expression, offers invaluable insights into business and entrepreneurship. The study of great literature broadens our minds and imaginations – essential qualities for leaders who face daily challenges that require agility and diverse skills. This article describes how literary works can enhance an entrepreneur’s awareness of organisational dynamics, leadership and ethical issues. People in books and literature are no different from people in real life. They all have joys and sorrows, dreams and frustrations, ambitions and conflicts. By analysing and understanding the motivations and reactions of the characters in books, entrepreneurs can better understand the motivations and reactions of their employees, stakeholders and even customers. In fact, they will be apt to devise effective strategies for addressing challenges and preparing for the future. Using Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea as an inspirational metaphor, this article focuses on how passion, purpose, perseverance and determination reflect an entrepreneur’s journey and shape the modern business landscape.

Traits linked to sensory processing sensitivity mediate the relationship between externally oriented thinking and fantasizing.

Alexithymia is characterized by difficulties identifying and describing feelings but expression of externally oriented thinking (EOT) and difficulty fantasizing is more variable. In two studies, we investigated whether links between EOT and fantasizing are mediated by sensory processing sensitivity (SPS). University students completed measures of alexithymia, SPS, and fantasizing. In Study 1 (N = 700) we identified two clusters of SPS traits: a positive facet (sensitivity to subtle stimuli) and a negative facet (sensitivity to uncomfortable stimuli). In the 499 participants who completed the fantasy measure, low EOT scores predicted stronger SPS positive and negative traits, which predicted a stronger tendency to mentally project oneself into the lives of characters in books, movies, and plays. In Study 2 (N = 600), the link between EOT and this same fantasizing tendency was again mediated by features of SPS-in this case fantasy proneness and emotional reactivity. We suggest that, whereas individuals who score high on EOT have an impoverished fantasy life, those who score relatively low on EOT and turn their attention inward are able to maintain stronger representations of imagined events in working memory (enhancing the likelihood that they will be recalled) and react more strongly to these events (enhancing their salience). Stronger expression of these features of SPS, in turn, increases the likelihood that one will develop a cognitive style that involves the application of imagery-based strategies to support deep processing of the thoughts and feelings of characters depicted in narratives.

A Rites of Passage Counseling Group: Black Panther as a Metaphor of Strength and Resiliency for Young Black Males

Comic book characters (CBCs) provide an escapism from reality while still confronting real issues. However, for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) there is a lack of characters that look, talk, and think like them. Black Panther is an example of a character more inclusive of BIPOC populations, especially Black males. What differentiates Black Panther is the CBC can be a metaphor for issues Black males face, such as racism/discrimination. The superhero has several positive attributes, such as a strong sense of self, dignity, and strength/resiliency. Furthermore, one of the more appealing cultural aspects of Black Panther is he must undergo several rites of passages to claim his inheritance. Rites of passages are gaining recognition as a culturally responsive group method to use with Black males in school settings. Thus, a rites of passages counseling group centered on the attributes of Black Panther can offer a contemporary, school-based counseling intervention.

다문화 청소년의 정서적 적응에 관한 연구

This study aims to examine the difficulties of emotional adaptation experienced by multicultural youth that are rapidly increasing in Korean society and to help solve them.
 Methods: This study will examine the various emotional difficulties they face through the three narratives of the characters in Daniel's book. We will also seek solutions to the emotional difficulties of multicultural youth through the convergent application of literary therapy (narrative therapy) methods, Gadamer's hermeneutic methods, and hermeneutic phenomenology with psychological emotions.
 Results: The food rejection and the king's test narrative in Danielle 1 was related to self-positivity and optimism emotions also related to stress and health. Azariah's prayer narrative overcame the fear of death by healthy emotional resources such as 'high spirituality and resilience, self-regulation and persistence'. Susana's narrative showed that even in high-stress or hopeless trauma situations, people with healthy emotions bring post-traumatic growth, and post-traumatic growth is a virtuous cycle of more desirable emotional adaptation.
 Conclusions: The various techniques of hermeneutic application of Daniel's narrative will help multicultural youth find their own solutions and self-understanding of the emotional difficulties they face entering Korean society today.

Turning the Page: Characters in influential children's books are still mostly white.

Turning the Page: Characters in influential children's books are still mostly white.

Desain Ilustrasi Untuk Buku Ensiklopedia Catatan Perjalanan Raja Majapahit Di Kota Bakulapura

ABSTRACTHistorical stories have a moral message as a form of communication. History encyclopedia books are a visual communication medium to foster children's interest in reading. History Encyclopedia Bakulapura makes interactive children's books to improve relationships between children, parents and the general public, as well as increase children's interest in reading. The historical encyclopedia book entitled: " Desain Ilustrasi Untuk Buku Ensiklopedia Catatan Perjalanan Raja Majapahit di Kota Bakulapura" introduces letters through visual descriptions of characters and cultural history. Visual characters and cultural history in this book have a function to transfer the message. The visual meaning of historical characters and culture is analyzed using Semiotics theory by identifying visual elements and analyzing their connotative meanings. Researchers will only examine some of the main characters in the encyclopedia book. Identification of visual elements of characters and analysis of connotative meanings are presented in tabular form and translated using descriptive- interpretative techniques. Data collection techniques are carried out through literature studies and content analysis. The analysis results show that there are several visual compatibility of historical characters and culture with the characterization shown by the characters of historical encyclopedia books. The historical encyclopedia book entitled " Sejarah Ensiklopedia Bakulapura Catatan Perjalanan Kerajaan Majapahit di Kota Bakulapura Kalimantan Barat" also incorporates elements of Javanese, Dayak and Malay culture related to the daily lives of children.Keywords : History, Character, Encyclopedia.

Self-representation and Intercultural Acceptance in Comic Book Ma Voisine est Indonésienne

The research specifically examined French and Indonesian individuals’ representation from cognitive and interactional perspectives within sociocultural and sociocognitive contexts, mainly using dialogues in the comic book “Ma voisine est Indonésienne” (My Neighbor is Indonesian) by Emmanuel Lemaire. This comic strip was about the discovery of France through an Indonesian woman’s eyes and transcribes the two cultures’s encounters. The textual and structural aspects of the conversations were subject to analyses; their topical and situational dimensions were examined. NVIVO was used to support the qualitative analysis. The findings contribute to the development of a discourse analysis model of representation and perception of culturally based images or culturological models of communication, drawing heavily on Ulrike Niens’ social identity theory. The findings suggest that stereotypical conversations between the Indonesian and French characters in the comic book primarily occur within a social context, indicating that stereotyping is part of a complex dynamic process involving elements of subjectivity, collectivity, and intersubjectivity. These findings also reveal an unfavorable sociocultural representation of both Indonesian and French cultures, as 17 aggregated item codes demonstrate the representations of Indonesians are deemed unacceptable within French culture’s framework, while ten aggregated item codes indicate the representations of the French are deemed unacceptable within the Indonesian culture’s context. This implies language and cognition, influenced by prior experiences and societal norms, shape socialinteractions and contribute to stereotype creation.

Guidelines for Ludonarrative Conversion: A Case Study for a Children's Book Converted to a Game

Video games are a way to help children improve their communication and collaboration skills as well as engage them in the world of their favorite book characters. This paper explains the unique features of books and games, and how interactivity can enhance the reader experience in the game world. It then goes on to explain various design considerations for children, including age ratings and designs for screen time recommendations. Further, game mechanics are paired with Erickson’s stages of development to facilitate optimal design in various age group. Finally, a development framework is presented, and a case study features a prototype design which displays these principles in a real-world setting.

What We Teach About Race and Gender: Representation in Images and Text of Children’s Books

Abstract Books shape how children learn about society and norms, in part through representation of different characters. We use computational tools to characterize representation in children’s books widely read in homes, classrooms, and libraries over the past century and describe economic forces that may contribute to these patterns. We introduce new artificial intelligence methods for systematically converting images into data. We apply these tools, alongside text analysis methods, to measure skin color, race, gender, and age in the content of these books, documenting what has changed and what has endured over time. We find underrepresentation of Black and Latinx people in the most influential books, relative to their population shares, though representation of Black individuals increases over time. Females are also increasingly present but appear less often in text than in images, suggesting greater symbolic inclusion in pictures than substantive inclusion in stories. Characters in these influential books have lighter average skin color than in other books, even after conditioning on race, and children are depicted with lighter skin color than adults on average. We present empirical analysis of related economic behavior to better understand the representation we find in these books. On the demand side, we show that people consume books that center their own identities and that the types of children’s books purchased correlate with local political beliefs. On the supply side, we document higher prices for books that center nondominant social identities and fewer copies of these books in libraries that serve predominantly White communities.

Mr. Feige, I don’t feel so good … Copyright ownership, creators’ rights, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is the highest grossing franchise of all time. What happens when the creators of some of the characters that have made Earth’s Mightiest Heroes such an onscreen success attempt to reclaim their ownership of those characters? This article discusses the relationship of the MCU to copyright disputes in phases. First, the history of copyright contests over Marvel characters is discussed, starting with the licensing disputes surrounding the 1998 film Blade. Former attempts by creators to reclaim ownership of their comic book characters are then analysed and compared to the current claims for ownership of MCU characters. The article then speculates on the possible effects of character ownership becoming split in the MCU and suggests ways that the MCU might move forward by taking an approach to shared character ownership informed by past Marvel licensing and character agreements.

Feasibility Study of Integrated Arabic Bilingual Book at Islamic Elementary School

The book “I Love Arabic” is a learning resource used in Arabic lessons for Class IV Dâr El-Iman Islamic Elementary School in Padang. This book is based on a bilingual system, namely by presenting Arabic and English study materials. This bilingual Arabic book is still a new category, so the content and presentation of the material need to be analyzed for its feasibility and suitability aspects with the character of bilingual books and the demands of the applicable curriculum. This study aims to analyze the bilingual book from the perspective of the feasibility of its content and presentation. This library research used a qualitative approach with secondary data. The main reference used the Bilingual Book “I Love Arabic & English” Class IV Dâr El-Iman Padang textbooks and other relevant additional references. Data was collected through recording documentation in observation and content analysis. The data analysis technique used follows Miles and Huberman. The results identified: First, the content qualifications of the bilingual book “I Love Arabic & English” Class IV published by Dâr el-Iman are in the very proper category with a score of 75%. Second, the presentation of the material is in a feasible category with a percentage score of 65%. This book still needs to be refined to suit the character of a bilingual-based textbook.

Exploration of the Sufferings of Refugee Children: A Semiotic Study of Picture Books

The present study aims to highlight the sufferings of refugee children through the sign language used in two picture books and the main objective has been to explore the ways, the characters adopted to confront all the challenges of their lives. As for as the methodology of this study is concerned, it is based on the qualitative method. Kress and Leeuwen's (2006) modal of visual grammar is applied as a theoretical framework for this study. The findings revealed that although the characters of these picture books have gone through crucial circumstances in the course of the war they still practiced good values and didn’t let their souls be corrupted in any way. In this way, they set a glorious example for all the children across the world. Moreover, through this study, the researcher is hopeful that it will help out the language classroom in several ways as to promote good values among the learners, to enable them to understand and analyze the texts through the pictures illustrated in their books and develop interesting non-verbal activities for them to enhance their social, intellectual and emotional development.

SELECTION CRITERIA OF ENGLISH AND UKRAINIAN POETRY FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

The article is keen on answering the question: what should be the quality characteristics of the poetry offered for study in primary school, so that it could be easily perceived, so that it could be easy for children to remember, and so that it could be able to develop aesthetic tastes, a sense of rhythm, and rhymes.
 The article stresses that poetry is designed to evoke a sense of security, harmony, and detachment in a child, to awaken intuition, and to create a relaxed atmosphere conducive to learning, just like music. The author states that poetry is especially important in our time when today's children live in the age of digital technologies. They often lack live contacts, they are lonely and very sensitive, but at the same time, they are not fully aware of their emotions. Reading poetry for them becomes not only the development of skills, but also psychotherapy, and empathy training, when a common emotional and valuable space is created, and book characters turn into safe guides to a stable world. And if to take into account the fact that all our internal processes are related to rhythmization, and rhythm and rhyme affect even motor activity and a sense of security, then we can conclude the necessity of forming criteria of poetry for study in elementary school.
 The research states that the rhythms and melody of the poetic word return a person to the original state of harmony with himself and the surrounding world if it is a quality, genius poetry, but it can also distort the taste, bring disharmony to the state of mind of both an adult and a child - a child even more, since children are more sensitive to the effects of the external environment. Therefore, it is extremely important what kind of poetry we offer to the attention of an individual undergoing the process of formation.

Picture books for young children of incarcerated parents: Through the lens of bibliotherapy

AbstractResearch suggests that bibliotherapy can help children cope with life's challenges through age‐appropriate reading and storytelling. Bibliotherapy has been employed to assist children in dealing with grief, divorce, adoption and other stressors. However, limited studies have investigated how this approach can support young children with incarcerated parents. Utilizing bibliotherapy as a framework, this study conducts a thematic analysis of children's picture books published between 1977 and 2014, featuring children of incarcerated parents as main characters to better understand the challenges they face. The study aims to explore the challenges depicted among child characters in picture books addressing parental incarceration for a young reading audience over almost 50 years. Our findings reveal that child characters grapple with various emotional, psychological and social challenges related to the sudden separation from their loved ones. We discuss the implications of each finding in greater detail.

그림책에 표현된 등장인물의 성별정체성 고찰

The purpose of this study is to examine the gender identities expressed in picture books. The subjects of analysis were 10 picture books featuring transgender people and 20 cisgender picture books. Of the 20 cisgender picture books, 10 are gender stereotype picture books that contain the image of conforming to traditional gender roles, and the remaining 10 are de-gender type picture books. For a qualitative understanding of the text, thematic analysis was conducted. According to the results of the study, the process of recognizing one’s gender identities was embodied in picture books featuring transgender people. The transgender protagonist ambivalently experiences the fear of revealing gender identities and the desperation to reveal oneself in conflicts with others. On the other hand, the male characters in the gender typology picture books required psychosocial characteristics such as competitive spirit, adventurous spirit, and confidence, while the female characters emphasized warmth, patience, and cooperation. The picture book containing the image of desexualization expresses that the difference of sex and gender is not defined, and that the value of oneself is formed subjectively as a human being. This study examines how gender identities is dealt with in picture books for children in a time when respect for diversity is emphasized. Considering the impact of the issue of gender identities on children’s cognitive, emotional, and social development through the medium of picture books, this study is expected to contribute to starting an academic discourse on this issue.

Islamic Education Character Education Concepts

Character education is a value that must be learned, felt, and applied in a child's daily life. The concept of character education in Indonesia is the education of noble values originating from Indonesian culture in the framework of developing the personality of the younger generation which includes three aspects, namely moral knowing, moral feeling, and moral acting. The concept of Islamic education is guidance given by someone to someone so that he can develop optimally in accordance with Islamic teachings concerning the development of the body, mind and heart of students. This study aims to determine the concept of character education according to the figures, and to determine the concept of character education from the perspective of Islamic education according to Abdul Majid. The type of this research is library research which is based on the study and review of the text. This is done because the data sources used are in the form of literature data which makes library materials the main data source. The conclusion of this study is character education is a characteristic that exists in a person and morals or character that distinguishes one person from another. The purpose of character education is to form human beings who have good morals, are tolerant, have morals and instill self-responsibility, and build an optimistic mentality in carrying out their lives. By instilling religious character values, honesty, tolerance, discipline, and hard work. Character education in an Islamic perspective contained in the book Character Education with an Islamic Perspective by Abdul Majid and Dian Andayani states that character education in an Islamic view is morals and morals in Islam are also called personality. Carry out the religious teachings adhered to according to the stage of child development, recognize one's own strengths and weaknesses, comply with social rules that apply in their environment, respect the diversity of religions, cultures, ethnicities, races and socio-economic groups in the surrounding environment, use information about the surrounding environment in a comprehensive manner. logical, critical and creative, demonstrating the ability to think logically, critically, and creatively with the guidance of a teacher/educator, demonstrating a high sense of curiosity and realizing its potential, demonstrating the ability to solve simple problems in everyday life.

Teacher and Principal Characters in Children's Books

Erken yaşlarda çocukların karakterlerinin şekillenmesinde öğretmenlerin büyük bir rol oynadığı bilinmektedir. Bu nedenle çocuk kitaplarında öğretmen karakterlerin sunuluş biçimi önemlidir. Yazınsal nitelikli çocuk kitaplarında yer alan öğretmen karakterinin nasıl resmedildiğini tespit etmek amacıyla yapılan çalışma, doküman analizi deseniyle kurgulanmıştır. Çalışmanın amacı doğrultusunda içeriğinde öğretmen karakter bulunan eserler, ilgili alan uzmanlarının görüşleri dikkate alınarak temin edilmiştir. Sonrasında bu eserler araştırmanın problem cümlesi göz önünde tutularak okunmuş, çocuk bakışını ve gerçekliğini yansıtmadığı düşünülen eserler çalışma grubuna dâhil edilmemiştir. Eserler belirlenirken yazarların birden fazla eserine yer verilmemiş, mümkün olduğunca farklı yazarların eserleri kullanılmaya çalışılmıştır. Çalışmada incelenen eserler araştırmacılar tarafından öncelikle herhangi bir kayıt tutulmadan okunmuştur. Ardından araştırmanın alt problemi ışığında kitaplar gözden geçirilmiş, öğretmen karakterlerle ilgili kesitler herhangi bir süzgece tabi tutulmadan kayda alınmıştır. Kayıt altına alınan bu veriler NVİVO 11 nitel veri analiz programına yüklenerek önce betimsel analize ardından içerik analizine tabi tutulmuştur. Çalışmanın geçerlik ve güvenirliğini artırmak amacıyla kodlamalar Miles ve Huberman’ın (1994) güvenirlik formülü dikkate alınarak yapılmıştır. Çalışma sonucunda öğretmen karakterlerin okul kurallarını fazlasıyla önemsedikleri, kimi zaman ayrımcılık yapıp öğrencilere hakaret etmeyi alışkanlık hâline getirdikleri, nadir de olsa sevgi dolu ve anlayışlı tutumlar sergiledikleri tespit edilmiştir.