Picturebooks in the Limelight of Health Humanities: An Evaluative Reading

This study investigates how children’s picturebooks address mental illness experiences within the health humanities framework. It explores the capacity of such literature to foster imagined communities, facilitate self-identification, and challenge the stigma surrounding mental health. The paper analyses contemporary picturebooks like Bipolar Bear, Virginia Wolf, Once I Was Very Very Scared, Mama’s Waves, Up and Down Mom and The Princess and the Frog to illustrate how verbo-visual elements in these texts externalize internal struggles. Drawing on fields like graphic and narrative medicine, the analysis of the picturebooks includes representational paradigms and their role in community building and psychological resilience. By engaging marginalized experiences of mental illness, children’s literature can redefine inclusion and promote awareness. The evaluative paper aims to trace the transformative power of these visual mediums in bridging individual challenges with societal conversations about mental well-being and inclusion. The potential of imagination in reshaping perceptions of mental health is a central focus.