THE POLITICIZATION OF CHILDREN'S LITERATURE

Abstract

The following work demonstrates how political agendas have impacted diverse representation in children’s literature, specifically picture books, by perpetuating biased ideologies. The impact of politicization can be analyzed through banned and challenged books, as they are a representation of how the political climate has shifted over time. In particular, how professional and non-professional environments have excluded diverse voices in literature by challenging books that include topics of race, ethnicity, and sexuality as ‘divisive’ or ‘conflicting,’ and as a result not marketable. This characterization is accompanied by a lack of representation in the publishing industry attributed to the same system that upholds the values of marketability in publishing. Through examples of 20th and 21st century picture books, readers will see how politics has heavily influenced children’s literature, and in turn children's ideologies.