Representations of Astronomy in Children’s Picture Books

Abstract

This study examines how astronomy is portrayed in children’s picture books, selected from notable book lists, published between 2001-2021. Selected books (N=32) were analyzed in terms of how they portray the practices of science, using the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) as a framework. We also analyzed the gender, age, and race of the main characters. Few books among the selection portrayed characters engaged in a scientific investigation, and many of the books had scientific inaccuracies in the story and/or illustrations. NGSS science practices appeared in less than half of the selected books, and this was primarily the practice of asking questions. The main characters were close to evenly split between male and female, and most main characters were children. When the selection of books from Diverse Book Finder was included, the racial background of human main characters was close to even between white and persons of color. However, without Diverse Book Finder, racial diversity in the sample was greatly reduced. Currently, astronomy picture books provide limited support for the Next Generation Science Standards in terms of how they convey science practices. In addition, teachers may have difficulty locating books that portray racially diverse characters engaged in astronomical phenomena.