Adult Picture Books as Liminal Spaces: Exploring Some Inventive Invitations to Philosophical Reflection

Abstract

Introduction: In Thinking Children and Education, Matthew Lipman edited a broad collection of essays from the IAPC journal Thinking. Eva Brann’s essay “Through Phantasia to Philosophy- Review with Reminiscences” opens with the tantalizing challenge to distinguish children’s literature from adult literature.  A number of criteria are examined.

• Are children’s books written specifically for children?
• Are children’s stories written exclusively by adults?
• Are they only about children or only children’s books have children featured in them?
• Are there topics that only appear in children’s books?
• Are children’s books always gentle and safe?
• Do only children’s books have pictures?