The Evolution of Family Portraits in Picture Books
This essay underscores the unpredictability of human creativity and the challenge of trying to codify it.
This is yet another paper I wrote for an MLIS class where I examine picture books for their representations of family. Enjoy!
Introduction
This essay seeks to understand the evolution of the family as represented in picture books between 1953 and 1991. How has the content changed? How has the author’s/artist’s approach to that content changed? How has publishing changed? To answer these questions a small sample of six picture books have been examined: Madeline’s rescue (Bemelmans 1953), The snowy day (Keats 1962), A Chair for my mother (Williams 1982), The relatives came (Rylant 1985), Tell me a story, Mama (Johnson 1989), and Big mama’s (Crews 1991).
The Evolution of the Family: How has the Content Changed?
Fortunately, the work of examining the changing family portrait in picture books and children’s literature has been done by Grafft (2020), Belcher (2010) and Kariuki & Harris (2000). Let’s now summarize their findings.
In the first half of the 20th century, families were depicted as happy and enjoying good relationships with members (Kariuki & Harris 2000). In the 1950s those families were the traditional “nuclear family, representing a mom, a dad, and children” (Belcher, 2010 p. 55). The dad was the provider while the mother acted as the primary caregiver (Kariuki & Harris, 2000 pp. 4-5).
In the 60s, “social concerns” and the “breakdown of the nuclear family” were noted by the publishing industry (Kariuki & Harris, 2000 pp. 5-6): children became rebellious, families were unhappy and problems of death, broken homes, etc. became prominent themes. During this time there were also more portrayals of ethnic families and city life.
The 1970s continued the darkening trend of picture books: families were now divorced, blended, extended or single-parent; books like It Is Not the End of the World (Blume, 1972 as cited in Kariuki & Harris 2000, p. 6) explores a young girl's struggle to accept her parents’ divorce; in Sometimes I Don't Like My Mother (Colman 1979 as cited in Kariuki & Harris 2000, p. 6), a young girl addresses the loss of her father and the burden of her mother's reliance on her. Indeed, Belcher (2010) writes, “The further away one moves from the picture books of the 1940s, the more the family unit and the joy of childhood appear to diminish” (pp. 64-65).
The 80s cheered up a little bit. New family trends emerged such as significantly more ethnic diversity (e.g., The Patchwork Quilt [Flournoy 1985 as cited in Kariuki & Harris 2000] and A Chair for My Mother [Williams 1982 as cited in Kariuki & Harris 2000]) and more family structures, including same-sex parents (e.g., Heather has Two Mommies [Newman 1989 as cited in Kariuki & Harris 2000]).
The 90s, which this essay only touches on, encompasses an even greater range of lifestyles (Kariuki & Harris 2000, p. 10). Also, adult themes and a sense of hopelessness were becoming increasingly evident (Belcher 2010, p. 58).
Despain (2012 as cited in Grafft 2020, p.20) conducted a study that analyzed 87 Newbery Medal or Honor books published from 1930 to 2010, along with relevant census data, to assess how effectively these texts represented family structures during that period. The study identified consistent portrayals throughout the decades of “children of married couples, divorced or widowed parents, parents with an absent spouse, adults living independently, and children residing with grandparents.” (p. 39). Interestingly, Despain claimed there was a significant lack of same-sex couples, interracial couples or young adults still living at home (p. 39).
Applied Knowledge: Examining the Six Titles
Right out of the gate two titles buck the trends identified by the researchers. First, Madeline’s rescue (Bemelmans 1953) does not include the titular character’s parents. Although the teacher, Miss Clavel, acts as a motherly figure. She is represented as a caregiver.
Second, The snowy day (Keats 1962) is about a black boy. This book is notable for being an early example of racial diversity in picture books. Peter’s father does not appear; it is possible he is absent. His mother is a caregiver, which we’d expect for this time. The darker themes that mark children’s literature in the 60s have not left a mark on Keats’ work, probably because it came out early in the decade.
Rylant’s The relative came (1985) doesn’t have a proper protagonist, and the relationships are not identifiable. It is about the entire extended family, so not much can be said about the structure. For this period, it is surprisingly warm.
A chair for my mother (Williams 1982) is more in line with the research. Here, we have a Hispanic family (more ethnic diversity) consisting of a mother, child and grandmother (non-nuclear family). Moreover, they are struggling financially such that purchasing a chair is a major undertaking. Even the fire that displaces them in the first place is a darker, adult theme that Belcher (2010) and Kariuki & Harris (2000) discussed.
Tell me a story, Mama (Johnson 1993) yet again continues the trends. The family is black (diversity) and the tone is decidedly melancholic (dark themes). While the mother’s family appears intact, the child’s may not be, as the father never appears.
Big mama’s (Crews 1998) is semi-autobiographical and takes place circa 1946 (back jacket). While there is a hint of melancholy at the end (adult themes), this book is largely happy, and the family appears to be intact.
Two more remarks will be made. First, only two books show autonomous children engaged in unsupervised, free-play, and one of them (Crews 1998) takes place in 1946. The loss of free-play representation in picture books foreshadows the work of Haidt (2024) and Lukianoff & Haidt (2018) who argue the loss of free-play has (in part) created a generation of anxious and fragile children.
Second, of the six books represented here, four are about non-white families, suggesting the concerns over a lack of racial diversity and representation are exaggerated - at least in the modern area. It also must be noted that Madeleine is French while Rylant’s eponymous relatives are Appalachian. While both are white, these are not the same cultures and, therefore, could rightly be called diverse representation. Despain (2012 as cited in Grafft 2020) appears to be correct in his assessment that there is a lack of representation regarding same-sex couples, interracial couples and young adults still living at home.
Devolution: The Art Styles
Bemelmans (1953) is noted for his European paintings, while Keats (1962) broke new ground with his collage (unpaginated, near the end). Keats also uses simple shapes to represent things, just as described in Bang (2016). Rylant (1985) is also fairly expressive. However, I largely consider this art flat, boring and motionless, especially when compared to the first half of the 20th century. With exceptions, these books are missing the lines, shapes, perspectives and clever use of colors described in Shulevitz (1997) and Nodelman (1988). Belcher (2010) said illustrations of this period were simple, mostly sketches and watercolors (p. 55). Still, I feel these books represent a decline in artistic merit.
What has gotten better is the physical books, or containers. Kariuki & Harris (2000) write that substantial technological advancements in the first half of the twentieth century allowed picture books to grow in size, be more vibrant and more affordable (p. 4). The six books here certainly fit that description. Also, the paper is high quality, and the illustrations sometimes extend edge to edge or feature a border. Finally, I have no complaints about the gutter.
In sum, while the printing technology has improved, the quality of the art has decreased.
Conclusions: Are there any?
The books studied here often fall in line with the research but often do not. This underscores the unpredictability of human creativity and the challenge of trying to codify it. However, because this sample of six picture books is so small, I feel no conclusions can be drawn with certainty.
My opinion on the art is my own. Others may disagree. What we can say for sure, however, is that the quality of the containers has improved in the last 100 years.
References
Bang, M. (2016). Picture this (Anniversary, expanded ed.). Chronicle Books.
Belcher, E. C. (2010). Family portrayal in children's picture books: The elephant in the room. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282851665
Bemelmans, L. (1953). Madeline’s rescue. Viking Press.
Crews, D. (1998). Big mama’s. Greenwillow Books.
Grafft, B. (2020). Portrayal of diverse family structures in children’s literature (Graduate Research Paper). University of Northern Iowa. https://scholarworks.uni.edu/grp/1560
Haidt, J. (2024). The anxious generation: How the great rewiring of childhood is causing an epidemic of mental illness. Books on Tape.
Johnson, A. (1993). Tell me a story, Mama. Orchard Books.
Kariuki, P., & Harris, C. (2000). Trends in how families are portrayed in children's literature from the 1950s to the 1990s. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Mid-South Educational Research Association, Bowling Green, KY.
Keats, E. J. (1962). The snowy day. Viking Press.
Lukianoff, G., & Haidt, J. (2018). The coddling of the American mind: How good intentions and bad ideas are setting up a generation for failure. Penguin Press.
Nodelman, P. (1998). Words about pictures: The narrative art of children's picture books. University of Georgia Press.
Rylant, C. (1985). The relatives came (Illus. by S. Gammell). Bradbury Press.
Shulevitz, U. (1997). Writing with pictures: How to write and illustrate children’s books. Watson-Guptill.
Williams, V. B. (1982). A chair for my mother. Greenwillow Books.
