Politics in picture books: big questions for the smallest readers

For younger minds interested in how the world works, there are a number of erudite authors who make subjects like migration, war and equality accessible

Politics and picture books aren’t, perhaps, ideas that automatically go hand in hand in readers’ minds – especially if they are exhausted parents, absently chanting rhymes as their minds steal off. But political themes, both quiet and strident, are often interwoven with the usual suspects’ anthropomorphised cuteness, noisy transport and fairytale retellings. From feminism to climate change, war, immigration and human rights, picture books can provide an easy way into, and fruitful discussion points for, some complex and challenging concepts.

Related: Book doctor: Are children's books darker than they used to be?

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