Abstract
Picture books can influence how children perceive those from backgrounds and cultures different from their own. Studies have been conducted examining how the text of children’s literature portrays multicultural characters or characters with disabilities. However, few have looked specifically at the portrayal of characters through illustrations, despite growing understanding of the importance that illustrations play in text comprehension. Fewer still have analyzed children’s literature for depictions of deaf characters and characteristics of Deaf culture. One recent study examined children’s picture books for portrayals of deaf individuals in the text; however, examining illustrations may provide additional information for both hearing and d/Deaf (For the purpose of this paper, capital “D” Deaf refers to people who are recognized part of the Deaf community; “d” deaf refers to the inability to hear or people unable to hear; d/D includes both populations.) readers about deafness and the Deaf population. In addition, while illustrations are important for all young readers, they may be particularly important for d/Deaf readers who are by nature visual learners. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to conduct a content analysis of illustrations in 20 picture books targeted to ages 4 to 8 years for messages linked to pathological and cultural models of deafness. In addition, results were compared to previous analyses of the text in the picture books. Results indicated that the illustrations do not represent deaf characters from a cultural perspective. Instead, similar to the text, illustrations present deaf characters more frequently as having a pathological condition or disability, that should be fixed through medical interventions in order to fit into a hearing world.
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Notes
For the purpose of this paper, capital “D” Deaf refers to people who are recognized part of the Deaf community; “d” deaf refers to the inability to hear or people unable to hear; d/D includes both populations.
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Appendices
Appendix A
The following table include the categories and codes used to analyze the illustrations for messages about deafness.
Category | Code | Definition and examples |
|---|---|---|
Cultural | ||
Technology | Technology used to facilitate communication for Deaf (e.g., TTY, Videophone, flashing lights, etc.) | |
Deaf Wave | A culturally Deaf way of clapping by waving hands in applause | |
Pathological | ||
Deaf in danger | Deaf character in some kind of danger (e.g., picture of strange man grabbing the deaf character) | |
Hearing aids | Deaf character wearing one or more hearing aids | |
Deaf isolated | Deaf character separated from other (hearing) children playing | |
Deaf scared | Deaf character looking scared (e.g., deaf man looking scared during a fire) | |
Deaf can’t hear | Deaf character doesn’t look when someone talks to or makes a sound around him or her | |
Deaf dancing | Deaf character dancing by him- or herself or with another character | |
Music | Deaf character listening to or playing music | |
Audiogram | Picture of an audiogram | |
Deaf brave | Deaf character facing adverse conditions (e.g., venturing outside when there is lightning or snowstorm or when it is dark) | |
Audiologist, etc. | Showing an audiologist | |
Doctor’s office | Picture of a doctor’s office | |
Discussion of blindness | Showing the printed word “blind” | |
Cochlear implant | Picture of deaf character with cochlear implant | |
Deaf hurt | Deaf character injured (e.g., picture of Kami tripping and falling) | |
Deaf singing | Deaf character is shown singing | |
Print related to hearing loss | Print on page related to hearing loss (e.g., printed words “right ear/left ear” and degree of loss on an audiogram) | |
Hospital | Picture of deaf character in the hospital | |
Incapable of functioning | Depicting the deaf character as unable to do a task or activity without help from hearing character (e.g., unable to cross the road without getting hit by a car) | |
Deaf as noisy | Hearing character(s) has to cover his/her ears because deaf character makes too much noise (e.g., dear character is listening to the TV too loudly in order to hear the sounds in the programming) |
Appendix B
Summary of Books. All books were published in the United States with the exception of Moonbird, which was published in London, and Screaming Kind of Day, which was published in Canada.
Picture book reference | Summary |
|---|---|
Addabo, C. (2005). Dina the deaf dinosaur (P.A. Valentine, illus). Stamford, CT: Hannacroix Creek Books. | After running away from home because her parents won’t learn how to sign, Dina meets some unexpected friends who know how to sign. She is later reunited with her hearing parents who are willing to sign by the end of the story. |
Booth, B. (1991). Mandy (J. Lamarche, illus). New York, NY: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books. | When her grandmother’s broach disappears, Mandy, a deaf child, braves the stormy night to search for the broach. |
Burk, C. (2005). Prudence parker and a sign of friendship (L. Riethmeier, illus). Austin, TX: Dandy Lion Publishing. | When Prudence goes to the beach for the summer, she becomes friends with a deaf girl and learns some signs. |
Dunbar, J. (2007). Moonbird (J.Ray, Illus). London: Transworld Publishers. | A fantasy about Orla, a deaf boy who can’t communicate until magical animals show him how to talk with his hands. The moonbird helps his parents understand and appreciate silence and deafness. |
Fudge, B. (2008). Enrique speaks with his hands (T. Edmonson, illus). Chicago, IL: Hilton Publishing. | A deaf boy, Enrique, who lives in Honduras, is isolated until a woman comes and takes him to a deaf school. There he learns how to talk with his hands. |
Gilmore, R. (2000). Screaming kind of day (G. Sauve, illus). Toronto, CA: Fitzhenry & Whiteside. | A story about a deaf child who is having a bad day. |
Larkin, P. (1994). Dad and me in the morning (R. Steele, illus). Morton Grove, IL: Albert Whitman & Company. | A story about a deaf boy and his father going out to watch the sunrise. |
Lee, J. (1994). Silent lotus. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus & Giroux. | A story of Lotus, a deaf girl who cannot communicate until she learns how to communicate through dancing. |
McCully, E. A. (2008). My heart glow: Alice Cogswell, Thomas Gallaudet, and the birth of American Sign Language. New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children. | Based on a story about real life deaf child, Alice Cogswell is isolated until she meets Thomas Gallaudet. He goes off to France to learn sign language and returns to start the first deaf school. |
Millman, I. (2003). Moses goes to the circus. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus & Giroux. | Deaf character, Moses, goes with his hearing family to the circus of the senses, an event specifically for deaf or blind children. Moses teaches his sister some signs along the way. |
Okimoto, J. D. (1993). A place for grace (D. Keith, illus). Seattle, WA: Sasquatch Books. | Story about a dog, Grace, who wants to become a guide dog for the blind. After failing to pass the test, she goes to school to become a hearing dog for the deaf. She meets a deaf man who helps her pass the test to become his hearing dog. |
Riggio, A. (1997). Secret signs along the underground railroad. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press. | Set in the 1800 s, Luke, a deaf boy, is taken from his home by a stranger who suspects Luke’s mother of hiding slaves trying to escape to freedom. It is up to him to pass along the secret message of where to hide slaves along the underground railroad. |
Riski, M. C. (2008). Abby gets a cochlear implant (S. Dupree, illus). Ottsville, PA: Cassidy Publishing. | When Abby’s parents realize she cannot hear, Abby has a surgery to get a cochlear implant. |
Riski, M. C., & Klakow, N. P. (2001). Oliver gets hearing aids (N. B. Polygone, illus). Phonak Hearing Systems. | A story about Oliver the elephant, who is lonely and isolated from other children because he can’t hear. After he gets his hearing aid, he is happy and able to interact with others. |
Roth, G. R. (2000). Elana’s ears (K.S. Brooks, illus).Washington, DC: Magination Press. | When Elana’s (who is human) parents realize she cannot hear, they take her to get hearing aids. Her sister, the dog, feels the need to protect Elana because she cannot hear. |
Seeger, P., Jacobs, P. D.(2006). The deaf musicians (G. Christie, illus). New York, NY: Putnam. | When a musician named Lee loses his hearing, he goes to a deaf school and learns a new kind of music, playing with his hands. |
Stryer, A. S. (2007). Kami and the yaks (B. Dodson, illus). Palo Alto, CA: Bay Otter Press. | When the yaks go missing, Kami, the deaf character, goes out into the snowy mountains in search of them. |
Tildes, P. L. (2006). The garden wall. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge. | A story about a hearing boy who is forced to partner with a deaf classmate on a class project. After working together they become friends. |
Uhlberg, M. (2003). The printer (H. Sorenson, illus). Atlanta, GA: Peachtree Publishers. | A story about a deaf man who works among both hearing and deaf adults as a printer. When the print shop catches on fire, it is the deaf man who lets the hearing people know about the fire. |
Watkins, D. (1993). The spelling window (J. Roberts, illus). Greenville, SC: JourneyForth. | Deaf and hearing children go on a field trip to a museum. When the deaf boy, Seth, gets stuck in the elevator, his hearing friend helps by fingerspelling to him through the glass window. |
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Golos, D.B., Moses, A.M. & Wolbers, K.A. Culture or Disability? Examining Deaf Characters in Children’s Book Illustrations. Early Childhood Educ J 40, 239–249 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-012-0506-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-012-0506-0