Thesis (M.S.)--Pennsylvania State University, 2008. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.

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Thesis (M.A.)--Rowan University, 2006. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references.

Children’s literature is a critical aspect during a child’s development; the messages portrayed in children’s books can affect the development of gender identity in young children and can affect how a child with act and perceive the world around them in the future (Tsao, 2008). Expanding on this research this study aimed to determine if award winning children’s literature contained implicit and explicit gender stereotypes and biases in the illustrations and text. The sample examined was Caldecott Award and Honor books from 2001 through 2014; the sample size was did not include biographies, autobiographies, informational books, concept books, poetry, and science fiction. This study only examined works of fiction and each book was examined, read, and analyzed. Following the methodology of various studies, a three part Data Collection Instrument was used: book identification, frequency analysis of illustrations, and a character analysis. This research attempted to answer the following questions: (1) Is there evidence of gender stereotypes in the written depiction of characters in Caldecott Award and Honor books award between 2001 and 2014?, (2) Is there evidence of gender stereotypes in the illustrated depictions of characters in Caldecott Award and Honor books award between 2001 and 2014?, and (3) Are males’ and females’ roles and attributes represented equally through the text and illustrations? This research aimed at examining whether gender biases and stereotypes still existed in the text and illustrations and if so, to what extent.

In the nineteenth century, as society in Victorian Britain adjusted to the effects of urbanization and industrialization, social roles began to shift, changes that were reflected in the children’s book illustrations of Randolph Caldecott, Henry J. Ford, and Beatrix Potter. This time period was considered the golden age of children’s book illustrations due to a large boom in both number and quality available. These children’s books illustrators had a lasting impact on culture and aesthetics and reinforced the social constructions of the new urban middle class. Randolph Caldecott’s illustrations of nursery rhymes gave new interpretations to familiar texts, some of which furthered shifts in gender roles for both males and females. Andrew Lang’s fairy tale series, illustrated by H. J. Ford, walked a fine line between high art ideals and consumerism. Ford’s illustrations referenced the Pre-Raphaelite aesthetic. The fairytale genre has emphasized female roles from its inception, and Lang's and Ford's focus on an essentially English femininity added complexities to messages about the ideal woman. Beatrix Potter’s subversive work can be seen as the culmination of the Victorian period. She satirized the ideal woman at home, illuminating the anxieties and pressures of the domestic sphere and exploring the Victorians' fixation with the etiquettes of social rank. In an attempt to further the scope of traditional art history, this dissertation shows that, even in consumerist-driven visual culture, even in seemingly inconsequential children’s book illustration, we can see the impact of key social changes and values.

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The problems under study were the following: 1. To determine the distribution of social and ethnic groups among the characters in books that have been awarded the Newbery and Caldecott Medals, and to analyze the treatment of certain groups. 2. To compare the ethnic distribution of characters in fifteen early Newbery Award books with the ethnic distribution of characters in fifteen recent Newbery Award books. 3. To interpret the findings of this study in the light of the objectives of the elementary school library.

abstract: Gendered language has been a topic of study for centuries. The most recent efforts to promote inclusive language have been championed by parents, teachers, and social reformers over the last thirty years. Replicating in part a research study that was done over thirty years ago, this study examines what effects have taken place in children's perceptions of male and female roles in regards to specific activities and occupations and how their perceptions compare to the current work force, what role children's literature has played in these changes, and what children's natural speech in describing personified animals can tell us about their subconscious gender labeling. The results were remarkable in two ways: native language evidently exudes little emphasis on pronoun choice, and children are more readily acceptable of gender equality than that portrayed in either Caldecott winning children's books or real life as seen through current labor statistics. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Curriculum and Instruction 2011

Education should provide the academic support to promote every child's potential. In my experience, schools often neglect the population of gifted students. One way to support any population is to provide books that include positive role models (Purves & Monson, 1984). Therefore, my study will attempt to answer the question: Are gifted students represented in children's literature? In particular, fictional Caldecott Medal books. The copyright dates range from 1938 to 2007. After creating a random sample of Caldccott Medal books, the selections were read and analyzed by the researcher for five specific traits of the gifted. As a means of analyzing these books, I created a schema to determine if the protagonists exemplified any of the gifted traits identified by prior research. My research revealed that out of 26 books, 14 characters were creative, 20 were intellectual, 6 were high achievers, 3 showed academic aptitude, and 4 were in the visual/performing arts. Next, the analysis revealed the protagonist characters were 17 males to 9 females; however, most surprising was the discovery that of all five characters identified as gifted, all were male and over the approximate age of eighteen. Certainly, the dominant educational implication from this study is the need for positive gifted role models that more equally represent both genders and that are school-age children.

An abundance of research has been conducted about the importance of including books and literature as part of a young child's developmental process. Much of this research suggests that picture books are vital to a young child's healthy development and "are important influences that shape us by reflecting the politics and values of our society" (Fox, 1993, p. 656). This study was completed to analyze character roles and gender representation of male and female characters exclusively in children's picture books. The entire population of Caldecott Award and Honor Medal books published between 2001 and 2011 was utilized for a frequency analysis. Each Caldecott Award and Honor Medal book meeting this study's criteria was examined, read and analyzed. Books included only works of fiction and were delimited to exclude biographies, autobiographies, informational books, concept books and poetry. A total of 24 books were used in the data analysis. This research attempted to answer the following question: Are males and females equitably represented in recently published children's literature? From a content-analysis approach, within a historical perspective, this research aimed at examining if gender bias still dominates the literature, and if so, to what extent. The intellectual interest of this project is in discovering male and female presence and imagery in children's picture books.