Patterns in Contemporary Canadian Picture Books: Radical Change in Action

Abstract

This comprehensive qualitative examination of two groups of Canadian picture books, 57 titles published in 2005 and 120 titles published in 2015, offers comparative data that demonstrate patterns related to authors, illustrators, characterization, genres, audiences, and particular elements of Radical Change. Following book collection, content analysis was conducted with a consideration of Dresang’s notion that books for children are evolving with respect to forms and formats, perspectives, and boundaries. Our process for analysis was developed from Berg’s framework of systematic content analysis based on predetermined as well as emerging categories. There is much recent research exploring particular content in children’s literature, supporting the central importance of literature in the classroom and community. Comparative Canadian studies across decades, however, are rare, and are increasingly important as a way to track and describe the changes that are taking place with respect to books for young people. It is interesting that in both 2005 and 2015, picture books tended to feature children as protagonists, with the highest number of books from the 2005 set utilizing the fantasy genre (at 34%) or realistic fiction (at 28%) and the highest number of books from the 2015 set occurring in non-fiction (at 34%, up from 16% in 2005) or fantasy (at 31%). Historical fiction in both years presented comparatively low, at 12% and 3%, respectively.Findings of this study support and extend the notion of Radical Change. The research team noted marked innovations within the 2015 group related to forms and formats, boundaries, and perspectives. Of particular note are the increasing numbers of books that present Indigenous content and perspectives. While many of the changes appearing in Canadian picture books between 2005 and 2015 might be predicted through the standard categories of Radical Change (Dresang, 1999), other findings also emerged that suggest new Radical Change considerations. Continuing to examine children’s literature as artifacts of a culture can illuminate particular aspects of that culture and offer opportunities to engage authors, illustrators, and publishers in filling gaps where particular perspectives or topics are missing. Advocacy is important as children’s literature continues to be a source of tension for what it portrays and presents as well as its missing voices. A knowledge of patterns and trends in relation to available content and resources supports classroom practice as well as encourages classroom research and further explorations of the evolving landscape of children's books.

Patterns and Themes in Canadian Picture Books Published in 2017: A Content Analysis of 132 Titles Using Dresang’s Lens of Radical Change

“…Thus, one of the limitations of this study is the possibility that individual books may have been missed. However, given that our discussion offers comparisons with previous studies using the same methodology (Brenna et al 2017), we suggest that the general trends noted here can be considered valid.…”

“…We used content analysis based on Berg's (2009) framework to explore pre-identified aspects of text, such as genre and time-sequence targeted for exploration because of Dresang's (1999) original focus on Radical Change. In addition, we made note of emerging categories that arose from our reading, a process modelled after previous work (Brenna, 2010;Brenna et al 2017) and reproduced here in Appendix B.…”

“…It is quite possible that the use of picture books, in addition to their content, could become a component of future definitions of radical, adding to Dresang's (1999) initial notion of Radical Change and moving it forward. Brenna, Sun, and Liu (2017) refer to this in their consideration of a shifting audience for picture books, identifying titles that seem to be presented specifically for older readers ages 8 and up.…”

“…Radical Change in shifting boundaries. Earlier studies (Brenna et al, 2017) prompted us to consider how the picture book form could be used in contemporary publishing to reach a variety of audiences including older readers. We wondered whether picture books that extend beyond the typical birth to age eight in terms of readership might be evidence of a trend.…”

“…We used a mixed methods approach, looking qualitatively at the contents of the books as well as quantitatively at counts of particular elements such as author and illustrator gender. Our data set contained 132 titles that met specific criteria including location of the author or illustrator within Canada, and we collected data using an instrument developed from previous studies of children's literature (Brenna, 2010;Brenna, Sun, & Liu, 2017). In the following discussion, for simplicity, we reference particular picture books by title and author's last name, while recognizing that illustrators, in many cases, are equal partners in terms of the final product and thus we have included illustrators' names within our adapted bibliography format.…”