How Fantastical Elements of Storybooks such as Anthropomorphism Affect Young Children's Conceptual Development

Abstract

Most children will get their first glimpse into certain topics and concepts through exposure to storybooks. Books are critical for expanding a child's conceptual knowledge about the physical and social world as they provide a window into an "as-if" world in which they experience objects and situations that they might not otherwise encounter in their immediate surroundings. However, there is a large variety of books available for children, and it is critical to understand how book content or genres (such as fantasy versus non-fantasy) may affect a child's ability to learn in the context of book reading. This paper critically reviews the literature on the topic of anthropomorphism in story books, which reveals some conflicting findings. Children who are under the age of five are more vulnerable to losing the lesson taught in the book due to the fantastical content, though this effect is moderated by factors such as the language the children hear alongside the book or how the animals or humans are depicted in books. Additionally, anthropomorphic content in books does not hinder a child's ability to recall factually correct information from the books. It was also shown that under certain circumstances, stories focusing on fantastical elements may encourage greater learning. We conclude that children under the ages of 5 run the risk of transferring the wrong information portrayed through anthropomorphism content. As children get older and out of preschool the hindrance of anthropomorphic content becomes more trivial. The best thing for parents and teachers to do is to use books that portray concepts as realistic as possible to its biological counterpart for children in their pre-school ages as to avoid hindering their real-world knowledge before they can distinguish it from fact or fiction.