SIGNATURE WORK
CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION 2023

Psychological research regarding social withdrawal in childhood suggests that withdrawn children face developmental risks depending on their withdrawal types and the social environments they interact with. Little research has investigated how picture books, a popular form of children’s media represents and addresses children’s social withdrawal issue. The present study examines the portrayal of children’s social withdrawal in Chinese and English picture books. 20 English and 10 Chinese books were collected and analyzed using the content analysis method. Results reveal that Chinese and English picture books approach social withdrawal differently in several dimensions, including the characterization of the protagonists, the interactions between protagonists and other social agents, the resolutions to social withdrawal, and the messages delivered by the stories. Chinese picture books often resolve the issue by reintegrating the withdrawn children into peer groups and focusing on self-improvement, while English picture books tend to de-problematize the issue and feature self-acceptance and self-appreciation. This exploratory study implicates the importance of choosing sensitive and developmentally appropriate materials to engage with withdrawn children and facilitate their healthy development.