Picturebook futures

Abstract

In the last decades of the twentieth century, there was a substantial change in the way the picturebook was perceived, from a simple introduction to the world of books for young children, to aesthetic objects that continue to evolve as well as absorb and reflect global issues in surprising ways. This chapter will refer to some of these perceptions and transformations and what they may bode for the future of the picturebook. Given that Barbara Bader's definition of a picturebook from 1976 remains a seminal one, we use it to structure our discussion along with some implications of the digital age and the COVID-19 pandemic on the printed book. Our projection builds on a discerning review that brings together a wide range of significant international picturebook studies and new theoretical directions as well as research on the current market trends and literacy initiatives, with the aim of providing a chapter that will contribute to, and encourage, future reflection and enquiry.

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https://eprints.gla.ac.uk/278958/