Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Journal of Visual Literacy
Publication Date
2-2025
Keywords
Thematic analysis, grounded theory, qualitative research, social justice, critical theory, critical pedagogy, critical visual literacy, visual literacy
Abstract
This study sought to revisit established definitions of critical visual literacy and determine how this concept could be re-envisioned specifically for picture books when informed by the approaches of teacher education students who had received limited prior formal instruction on critiquing visual texts. Seventeen sophomore elementary education students engaged in written self-discourse around the visual narrative of Milo Imagines the World written by Matt de la Peña and illustrated by Christian Robinson where they generated questions and answers critically engaging with the visuals. These participants’ responses underwent thematic analysis informed by grounded theory which uncovered a collective definition for critical picture book literacy (CPBL), a reframing of critical visual literacy specifically derived from and for picture books. This definition centred illustrator agency, representation of identities and lived experiences, and unconscious bias of creators and readers.
Funding Source
This article was published Open Access thanks to a transformative agreement between Milner Library and Taylor & Francis.
DOI
10.1080/1051144X.2025.2458444
Recommended Citation
Stewart, C., & Koopmans, H. (2025). Critical picture book literacy. Journal of Visual Literacy, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/1051144X.2025.2458444
Comments
First published in Journal of Visual Literacy: https://doi.org/10.1080/1051144X.2025.2458444
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.