Shadow in children’s picturebooks: highlighting children’s perspectives

Abstract

This study presents how five five-year-olds express different ways of experiencing the multifaceted phenomenon of shadow, when reading and listening to picturebooks about shadow in a Swedish preschool. This is studied with attention to children's perspectives on shadow as it appears in conversations about the picturebooks. The purpose of this study is to contribute knowledge about ways of experiencing shadow, foregrounded in children’s conversations about picturebooks, and answers the question ‘How do children experience shadow when discussing picturebooks about shadow?’ The results show that, in conversations about the picturebooks, the children express that they experience shadow as visible with light and projection surface, as manageable like tangible objects, as being influenced by someone or something, and as self-acting with fictional abilities. The children often express their experiencing shadow as related to experiences of shadow from their everyday lives, and less often as something fictional and aesthetic.