ENTERING THE WORLD OF MEDICINE VIA CHILDREN'S LITERATURE

Abstract

The impact of children's literature on young readers and their career aspirations has received relatively little attention. This study aims to address this gap by exploring the impact of children's literature on career aspirations, health literacy, and moral education. The study also investigates the underrepresentation of healthcare careers in children's literature. Data was collected from 159 participants at the University of Arizona through a survey that aimed to explore their views on the influence of children's literature on career growth, health literacy, and moral education. We created two children's books on data by reading existing children's literature, interviewing healthcare professionals, and working with Make Way for Books' editorial team. The results suggest that while there may be some association between children's literature and career development, what children read does not strongly impact what they do for a living. However, the creation of children's literature has resulted in various benefits, including the promotion of health literacy, representation of underrepresented healthcare careers in literature, positive character development in children, and inspiration for future healthcare careers. The findings of this study have important implications for policymakers, educators, and authors, as they highlight the potential of children's literature to shape young readers' attitudes and aspirations toward healthcare careers. Further research is needed to examine the long-term effects of children's literature on career choices and the role of diverse healthcare professional representation in promoting health literacy and inspiring young readers.