Rights statement: © Elizabeth f. Caldwell and Sarah Falcus, 2021. The definitive, peer reviewed and edited version of this article is published in Journal of Science and Popular Culture, 4, 1, 3-19, 2021 [name of journal, volume, issue, pages, year, https://doi.org/10.1386/jspc_00022_1.
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Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Little bugs and wicked viruses
T2 - communicating the COVID-19 pandemic through picturebooks for children
AU - Caldwell, Elizabeth
AU - Falcus, Sarah
N1 - © Elizabeth f. Caldwell and Sarah Falcus, 2021. The definitive, peer reviewed and edited version of this article is published in Journal of Science and Popular Culture, 4, 1, 3-19, 2021 [name of journal, volume, issue, pages, year, https://doi.org/10.1386/jspc_00022_1.
PY - 2021/4/1
Y1 - 2021/4/1
N2 - The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the production of large numbers of books to educate children about the novel coronavirus and the measures to control its spread. The books have been produced by a wide variety of different individuals and organisations, from health professionals and educators to national public health organisations and the United Nations. This study provides a detailed analysis of 73 picturebooks about coronavirus / COVID-19 available in English and produced between March and June 2020. The analysis reveals that the books combine early scientific knowledge about the novel coronavirus with pre-existing connotations of germs to produce a specific, comprehensible cause for the social disruption produced by the pandemic. This portrayal is frequently used to mobilise children to be heroes and fight the virus through a number of behavioural measures, principally frequent hand washing and staying at home. The books also reveal adult anxieties about the nature of childhood and the uncertainty of the nature and timing of a post-pandemic future.
AB - The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the production of large numbers of books to educate children about the novel coronavirus and the measures to control its spread. The books have been produced by a wide variety of different individuals and organisations, from health professionals and educators to national public health organisations and the United Nations. This study provides a detailed analysis of 73 picturebooks about coronavirus / COVID-19 available in English and produced between March and June 2020. The analysis reveals that the books combine early scientific knowledge about the novel coronavirus with pre-existing connotations of germs to produce a specific, comprehensible cause for the social disruption produced by the pandemic. This portrayal is frequently used to mobilise children to be heroes and fight the virus through a number of behavioural measures, principally frequent hand washing and staying at home. The books also reveal adult anxieties about the nature of childhood and the uncertainty of the nature and timing of a post-pandemic future.
KW - COVID-19
KW - coronavirus
KW - pciturebooks
KW - health education
KW - halth communication
KW - children's books
U2 - 10.1386/jspc_00022_1
DO - 10.1386/jspc_00022_1
M3 - Journal article
VL - 4
SP - 3
EP - 19
JO - Journal of Science and Popular Culture
JF - Journal of Science and Popular Culture
SN - 2059-9072
IS - 1
ER -