The Place of Picturebooks in the Philosophy for/with Children (P4wC) Program
Keywords:
Philosophy for/with children, p4wc, picture books, exploration circle, critical thinking, creative thinking, aesthetic tasteAbstract
This study aimed to examine the place, functions, and characteristics of picturebooks in Philosophy for/with Children (P4wC) and to explain their capacity to promote questioning, philosophical dialogue, reasoning, conceptualization, imagination, interpretation, and participation in a community of inquiry. This study was conducted as a systematic review with an analytical–interpretive approach. The study population comprised Persian and English scholarly sources addressing picturebooks, children’s literature, visual narratives, and their use in P4wC. The initial search identified 186 potentially relevant sources. After removing 47 duplicates and screening titles, abstracts, and full texts, 42 sources meeting the inclusion criteria were retained as the final sample. Data were collected using a researcher-developed extraction form and analyzed through qualitative thematic analysis using a combined inductive–deductive approach. Thematic analysis showed that the most prominent function of picturebooks was stimulating questioning and generating philosophical problems, identified in 36 sources (85.7%). Facilitating dialogue and the community of inquiry appeared in 34 sources (81.0%), developing reasoning and critical thinking in 31 sources (73.8%), strengthening philosophical conceptualization in 29 sources (69.0%), and promoting imagination and creative thinking in 27 sources (64.3%). Multilayered interpretation of text–image relationships was identified in 25 sources (59.5%), affective and caring dimensions in 24 sources (57.1%), and increased accessibility and participation in 21 sources (50.0%). The most important characteristics of philosophically productive picturebooks included open-ended problems, ambiguity and polysemy, conceptual richness, productive text–image interaction, and relevance to children’s lived experiences. Picturebooks should be regarded as a central pedagogical medium in P4wC because they provide an effective context for philosophical inquiry, collaborative dialogue, reasoning, interpretation, and collective meaning-making; their effectiveness depends on selecting open, multilayered works and using non-directive facilitation.
Downloads
References
Browne, A. (2020). Voices in the Park. Michka.
Cam, P. (2019). Classroom Guide to Philosophy for Children: Doing Philosophy with Picturebooks. Shahrtash.
Cam, P. (2024). Philosophical Inquiry: Combining Philosophical Tools with Inquiry-Based Teaching and Learning. Shahrtash.
Cam, P. (2025). Thinking Together: Philosophical Inquiry for the Classroom. Shahrtash.
Campagnaro, M. (2022). Picturebooks and Aesthetic Literacy in Early Childhood Education. In. Routledge.
Chandler, D. (2023). Semiotics: The Basics. Sooreh Mehr.
Dewey, J. (2025). Art as Experience. Qoqnoos.
Ghaeni, Z. (2011). Children's Book Illustration: History, Definitions, and Types. Institute for Research on the History of Children's Literature.
Ghazal Ayagh, S. (2024). Children's and Young Adult Literature and the Promotion of Reading: Library Materials and Services for Children and Young Adults. SAMT.
Grenby, M. O., & Reynolds, K. (2020). Children's Literature Studies: A Research Handbook. Madreseh.
Haynes, J., & Murris, K. (2009). Opening Up Space for Children's Thinking and Dialogue. Farhang(69), 175-188.
Hunt, P. (2021). Criticism, Theory, and Children's Literature. Madreseh.
Hutchins, P. (2022). Rosie's Walk. Scientific and Cultural Publishing Company.
Kennedy, D. (2012). Rhizomatic Curriculum Development in Community of Philosophical Inquiry. Liguori.
Kennedy, D. (2023). The Philosophy of Childhood and Philosophy for Children. Negah-e Moaser.
Kress, G., & van Leeuwen, T. (2009). The Language of Visual Exchange. Herfeh: Honarmand(30).
Lipman, M. (2021). Philosophy Goes to School. Shahrtash.
Lipman, M. (2023). Thinking in Education. Shahrtash.
Lipman, M., & Moriyon, F. G. (2012). Matthew Lipman: An Intellectual Biography. Thinking: The Journal of Philosophy for Children, 20(1/2), 22-32.
Lipman, M., Sharp, A. M., & Oscanyan, F. S. (2016). Philosophy in the Classroom. Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies.
Lipman, M., Sharp, A. M., & Oscanyan, F. S. (2023). Children and Thinking Skills: Topics in Philosophy for Children. Parsik.
Lundy Kova, H. (2018). Visual Language and Picturebooks. In. Pouyanama / University of Art.
Matthews, G. B. (2022a). Dialogues with Children. Shahrtash.
Matthews, G. B. (2022b). Philosophy and the Young Child. Shahrtash.
Morehouse, J. (2023). The Philosophical Child: Cultivating Children's Intellectual and Philosophical Capacity. Lega.
Morehouse, J., & Burrows, M. (2024). Philosophy in Education: Inquiry and Dialogue in Schools. Lega.
Murris, K. (2016a). Philosophy with Picturebooks. In. Springer.
Murris, K. (2016b). The Posthuman Child: Educational Transformation through Philosophy with Picturebooks. Routledge.
Naji, S., & Rasani, H. (2020). Conversations on the History, Theoretical Foundations, and Implementation of Philosophy for Children and Adolescents. Ney.
Nikolajeva, M. (2018). Theory of Text-Image Interaction. In. Pouyanama / University of Art.
Nikolajeva, M., & Scott, C. (2021). How Picturebooks Work: The Interplay of Text and Image. Madreseh.
Nikolidaki, S. (2025). Listening Philosophically to Preschool Children: Teaching Student-Teachers How to Develop Children's Critical and Creative Thinking through Picturebooks. In. IntechOpen.
Nodelman, P. (2009). The Relationship between Pictures and Words. Herfeh: Honarmand(30).
Norton, D., & Norton, S. (2003). Through the Eyes of a Child: An Introduction to Children's Literature. Ghalamro.
Roche, M. (2015). Developing Children's Critical Thinking through Picturebooks: A Guide for Primary and Early Years Students and Teachers. Routledge.
Russell, B. (1912). The Problems of Philosophy. Kanun-e Marefat.
Sendak, M. (2022). Where the Wild Things Are. Scientific and Cultural Publishing Company.
Shiva, G. (2009). In Praise of the Image. Herfeh: Honarmand(30).
Sipe, L. R. (2009). How Picturebooks Work. Herfeh: Honarmand(30).
Splitter, L. J., & Sharp, A. M. (2022). Teaching for Better Thinking: The Classroom Community of Inquiry. Peyvak-e Farzan.
Tarahandeh, S. (2018). The What and Why of Picturebooks. In. Pouyanama / University of Art.
Van den Brink-Budgen, R. (2023). Critical Thinking in the Classroom. Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies.
Velthuijs, M. (2023). Frog and the Stranger. Institute for Research on the History of Children's Literature.
Wartenberg, T. E. (2018). Big Ideas for Little Kids: Teaching Philosophy with Children's Literature. Siftal.
Wartenberg, T. E. (2019). Big Ideas for Little Kids: Teaching Philosophy through Children's Literature for Preschool and Elementary Teachers. Shahrtash.
Wartenberg, T. E. (2023). Thinking Through Stories: Children, Philosophy, and Picturebooks. Lega.
Zangi, B., & Ghesmati Motlagh, P. (2018). The Function of Wordless Picturebooks in Enhancing the Cognitive Development of Preschool Children. In. Pouyanama / University of Art.
Downloads
Publication Timeline
- Submitted
- Revised
- Accepted
