"Challenging Behaviors": What do Picturebooks Tell Preschool Children?

Children's books deal with challenging behaviors contributes to the development of children's ability to cope with difficulties and conflicts and to understand the causes and consequences of behaviors. In this study, we study examined 41 picturebooks for children ages 3 to 8 that addressed challenging behaviors. We investigated the challenging behaviors that were the subject of the picturebooks and the characters who demonstrate those behaviors. Our analysis indicated that, among the 9 different challenging behaviors we identified, telling a lie, bullying and uncontrolled anger were the most frequently discussed. In some of the books, the characters developed possible solutions as a result of their challenging behaviors. In addition, the characters made an effort to make amends after the challenging behaviors were solved, social acceptance was experienced in the environment where the behavior took place. Thus, the findings of this study indicate that picturebooks examined featured challenging behaviors were written in a solution-oriented format.