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The aim of this study is to examine the tension between 'commerce and culture' in the dynamic development of the Australian children's publishing industry, within the wider context of international children's publishing history. It aims to refute a commonly stated 'truism' - that the conflict between the cultural value of a book and the need to market it threatens the integrity of the authors, publishers and the books themselves. Instead, it demonstrates that the tension between cultural and commercial definitions of the book publisher's role lies at the heart of the dynamism which has fuelled the development of a publishing climate, and created really innovative publishing. Publishing has too often been examined as if the sole motive of the publisher should be to produce books of quality, and though this is certainly the primary objective of the publishers which are the focus in this study, it is imperative to recognize that the dissemination of 'quality' literature and cultural product has always been dependent upon the recognition of commercial strategies which are often naively dismissed as being opportunistic and even extraneous to the publisher's purpose. As this thesis endeavours to show, the pioneering efforts of John Newbery, the Religious Tract Society, E.W. Cole, Ward, Lock & Co., and Australia's first publisher Angus & Robertson and of later publishers such as Penguin, Scholastic, Lothian, Omnibus, Allen & Unwin and others, were founded just as much upon the shrewd recognition of a viable market as they were upon the aim to enrich young readers' lives. In fact it is the symbiotic partnership between these two objectives which has fuelled their successes and their failures. It is where publishers either steer a path paved only with good intentions or one paved entirely with gold that their enterprises generally falter. The study owes a significant debt to the achievements of those who have documented Australian children's publishing 'output' so assiduously - Maurice Saxby's groundbreaking histories (1969, 1971, 1993) and Marcie Muir and Kerry White's comprehensive bibliographical tools (1982, 1992). Contrary to those endeavours, though, this study'goes back-stage' to the area where the publishing 'action' happens. Consequently it does not provide a comprehensive overview of every publication or author; it does not cover every genre and style. Rather it is concerned to document the activities of publishers which have produced books for children in Australia, in brief, and to isolate key examples of publishing enterprises within this coverage which represent 'case studies' of the different types of companies which have played a successful part in publishing development. This work is intended to be of interest not simply to either children's literature or Australian literature theorists, but to book historians, and to media, cultural studies and entertainment industry theorists. It was based on a belief that cultural histories of this nature are valuable in tracking the growth of a society and also in demonstrating that creative endeavours are never simply that. They are the result of a complex interweaving of a variety of factors, and that therefore artists approach creativity 'at their peril' without first understanding something of the world into which they are entrusting their creations. Consequently there were several objectives in the study which were to: 1. contextualize Australian children's publishing within a history of children's publishing internationally, with particular reference to early commercial beginnings in Britain and to British Empire developments, but also with appropriate reference to growth in the USA; 2. contextualize Australian children's publishing within the broader range and expansion of the book publishing industry in Australia, particularly the latter's economic growth and cultural influence since WWII, but also including an overview of foundational developments from the nineteenth century; 3. contextualize Australian children's publishing within social, educational and cultural developments, such as the development of education programs, the expansion of public and school libraries, the changes in government policy related to children and books, shifting social attitudes towards the child, and the impact of entertainment and media industries; 4. examine the roles played by various individuals, especially publishers, managers, editors, marketers, booksellers, librarians, teachers and professional commentators in the development of the Australian children's publishing industry. Their roles will be analysed in the context of various industry-particular questions such as a) the oft-remarked upon tensions that exist in publishing, between for example, 'craft-like' and bureaucratic structures; b) the interplay between 'structure and agency' in the industry; c) the shift from a 'library market' to a 'mass market' under such influences as globalization and media; d) whether publishing is necessarily more 'Australian' if it is done by independent, rather than multinational companies; and e) the influence that the 'internal' structure of publishing has had on its development, e.g. the isolation of children's publishing from the mainstream, the predominance of women as agents in its development, and so on; 5. finally, discuss the implications of globalization since the 1970s, and posit future directions in the production, marketing and consumption of children's properties. This study examines the industry from a critical perspective relying not on the evaluation of quality as opposed to mass market literature, but viewing all forms of trade literature for children as part of a dynamic whole. It therefore traces the origins of publishing in English-language countries briefly first before examining the Australian situation, and shows that from the very beginning, publications for children have been the products of both altruistic and profit-driven objectives. It concentrates on the post-WWII period, on certain key enterprises and trends which have been particularly successful, suggesting that those publishing houses and those individuals within them who 'balance' commerce and culture with the most skill, are those who succeed in making 'good' books readily accessible to those for whom they have been created. This thesis celebrates the fact that children's publishers have always demonstrated an admirable combination of opportunism and idealism, the two characteristics which are essential to a successful publishing company. Australia has been fortunate in rearing several enterprising individuals whose early publishing attempts laid the ground for the currently successful houses. Without E.W. Cole, William Steele at Ward, Lock and Co., Frank Eyre at Oxford University Press, Andrew Fabinyi at Cheshire, Barbara Ker Wilson at Angus & Robertson, Anne Bower Ingram at William Collins, the later successes of key individuals at Penguin Books Australia, Scholastic Australia, Allen & Unwin, Lothian Books and Omnibus Books and countless others may not have been planted in such fertile ground. This study predicts that the future of Australian children's publishing lies in the recognition of the essential role played by commercial instincts in shaping cultural endeavours.

This study examines the portrayal of gender in Australian Children’s Book Council award and honour books in the Younger Reader and Older Reader categories over the years 1981-1993. Its purpose is to discover whether the books portray females and males in equally positive ways, which both reflect their changing roles in our society and provide models for gender construction to young readers. This is done by means of a qualitative analysis of the text from selected books, supported by a quantitative analysis in the form of frequency counts of gender representations. Relevant Government policies and feminist ideologies which have influenced them are reviewed, and compared with the study’s findings to ascertain how far the CBC books’ gender portrayals are in line with current education policies and research. The findings suggest a review of CBC judging criteria, and highlight the need for a critical literacy approach in classroom literacy teaching. Recommendations for the broadening of research in literature are made.

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The purpose of this study is to explore how girls and boys are portrayed in children’s literature that is specifically aimed towards children in the preschool age. This is a qualitative text analysis, partly combined with some elements of quantitative data. Through an interview questionnaire sent to preschool teachers at different preschools, seven books in the genre humanized animals, were chosen and analyzed from a gender perspective. The analysis is conducted through a theoretical framework including gender theory with correlated concepts. The intent of this study has not been to identify books that follow stereotypical gender norms, and we do not argue that literature should be completely gender neutral. However, we believe that if girls and boys being portrayed in a variety of ways will contribute to more children feeling safe with their own identity and it will also provide them with a broader world view. We had a thought that a certain characterization of girls and boys in the chosen books, i.e. that girls are portrayed as sweet and nice while boys are portrayed as tough and mischievous. The results of this study show that this is partly true but that boys’ characteristics tend to vary more and in different ways than girls’ characteristics do. With that said, we concluded that in general, the chosen books were more gender neutral than our initial expectation.

Syftet med denna studie är att skapa en informativ barnbok kring funktionsvariationen ADHD, som ska fungera som ett verktyg för förskollärare i undervisningstillfällen med barnen. Aspirationen är att barnboken ska bidra till en kunskap om och förståelse för funktionsvariationer samt motverka utanförskap i förskolan. Arbetet utgår ifrån Vygotskijs sociokulturella perspektiv, barnboken kopplas till perspektivet då den är tänkt att användas under högläsningen i förskolan och högläsningen i sig är både social och kulturell. I arbetet beskriver vi hur vi gått till väga i skapandet av den informativa barnboken, samt vilka etiska aspekter vi har fått förhålla oss till. Att inte peka ut eller kränka någon har varit en stor utmaning under arbetets gång, då arbetet behandlar ett väldigt känsligt ämne. En annan utmaning har varit att göra barnboken inkluderande för så många personer som möjligt, både personer med och utan funktionsvariationer. Därför har vi lagt ett stort fokus på just utformningen av boken, där vi anpassat texten och illustrationerna på ett sätt som ska inkludera fler läsare än en vanlig bok. För att undvika etiska dilemman valde vi att kontakta två specialpedagoger som granskade vår barnbok och gav oss feedback. Vi valde även att utföra intervjuer med ett fåtal förskollärare efter att de läst barnboken under högläsningen på förskolorna, detta för att testa barnboken i praktiken och därefter utveckla barnboken så att den når en hög kvalité. Intervjusvaren användes sedan för att svara på våra frågeställningar och kopplas till arbetets syfte.   Resultatet visar på att förskollärarna anser att vår informativa barnbok är etiskt korrekt och att den fungerar som ett inkluderande verktyg kring olika funktionsvariationer. Utifrån vår undersökning har vi även fått kunskap kring hur man bör porträttera karaktärer med funktionsvariationer samt hur barnlitteratur kan göras mer tillgänglig för alla.

With an emphasis on STEM education in schools, young girls begin to have an idea that math and science skills are based on one’s natural ability. A fixed mindset is the belief that one possesses an ability that comes naturally. Many girls, starting at the elementary level tend to interpret a lack of skill for being dumb, and therefore, give up on difficult subjects like math and science. On the other hand, a fluid theory of intelligence, or growth mindset is when a student values effort and understands that these “abilities” come from hard work and taking on new challenges. Students in a growth mindset see intelligence as something that can be developed overtime, while every learning opportunity, challenge, and failure is seen as an important step to becoming more knowledgeable. As a teacher, promoting a growth mindset in the classroom is key for student success; praising and encouraging students through the process of learning is more valuable then giving a grade for the final product. This thesis not only researched the differences between a growth versus fixed mindset, but also the value of fluid theories of intelligence, and the effects on elementary aged girls. This thesis includes a children’s book that promotes the idea of a growth mindset with a protagonist who learns to see the importance of persevering, working hard, and attaining success. With the picturebook intended for elementary aged students, its hope is to bring awareness to students and teachers that having a growth mindset mentality is important.

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Kočová, K.: Forms of contemporary czech illustration for the youngest readers. /Thesis/ Prague 2011 - Charles University, Faculty of education, department of art education, 86 pages. The thesis deals with contemporary tendencies in illustrations for the youngest readers. It compare the work of contemporary Czech artists, who do illustrations for young children as a 'kitsch'. The thesis analyzes the phenomenon of 'kitsch' and utilizes concrete examples from books or magazines for children. The didactic section focuses on work with illustrations in the first grade of primary school. It explores children's reactions to the artwork of contemporary artists as well as the attitude of teachers to this art. Key words: children's book, contemporary illustration, kitsch, comparison, publishing house, authors of illustrations.

The study investigated the nature of the portrayal of aged characters in children's novels which won Children's Book Council of Australia's awards in the period from 1946 to 1985. By means of content analysis, the demographic, personal and behavioural characteristics of aged characters were identified on a thirty-four item checklist. From these characteristics a portrayal score was derived to represent the extent of variation in the depiction of aged characters in the novels examined. Analysis of variance tests indicated that the level of variation in portrayal scores was significantly related to the position of importance of aged characters in novels. The portrayal of aged characters did not vary according either to the approach to story adopted in Australian award-winning novels, or to the period in which the award was granted. It seems that although aged characters taken as a whole in the novels studied display the variety of characteristics attributed to aged people in the literature of gerontology, individually many of these aged characters are depicted in a somewhat limited way. There is evidence to suggest that aged characters in Australian award-winning children's novels do not adequately reflect the demographic characteristics of aged people in the Australian population. In terms of range of social settings in which they are depicted is restricted. So too, is the range of behaviours in which they engage. This rather limited depiction of aged characters means that readers of Australian award-winning children's novels are presented with a restricted and unrealistic view of the aged and of the condition of being aged. If children's novels serve as one of the socialisation agents for young people, then the limited portrayal of aged characters presented in those novels may be a cause for concern, especially as there are few indications that the depiction of aged characters generally in more recent award-winning novels has become more varied and realistic.