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A critical analysis of ecological sustainability ideology in award-winning early children’s literature

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 October 2020

Peta J. White Open the ORCID record for Peta J. White [Opens in a new window] ,
Glenn Auld Open the ORCID record for Glenn Auld [Opens in a new window]  and
Muriel Wells
Peta J. White*
Affiliation:
School of Education, Deakin University, Burwood, Australia
Glenn Auld
Affiliation:
School of Education, Deakin University, Burwood, Australia
Muriel Wells
Affiliation:
School of Education, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Australia
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail: peta.white@deakin.edu.au
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Abstract

A framework to critically consider the ecological sustainability messaging in children’s literature is presented to authors, illustrators and editors, as well as teachers, parents and students/children. We have applied this framework to three books from the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) 2015 Notables list using critical discourse analysis (CDA). Findings suggest that there are themes and images in these award-winning texts that do not support ecological sustainability and we argue that children’s literature should be judged with criteria including ecological sustainability. Our hope is that ecological sustainability principles and practices lead to changes in social discourse through intergenerational storytelling.

Keywords

ecological sustainabilitychildren’s literaturecritical discourse analysiseducation for sustainabilitypillars of sustainability
Type
Article
Information
Australian Journal of Environmental Education , Volume 37 , Issue 2 , July 2021 , pp. 147 - 158
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Copyright
© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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Footnotes

This manuscript is an original work that has not been submitted to nor published anywhere else.

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