A Content Analysis of Asian American Female Representation in Children's Picture Books

Scholarship has documented concerning trends related to representation in children's literature with Asian or Asian American characters and cultural themes. Grounded in mirrors and windows pedagogy and AsianCrit theory, this study aims to identify themes in children's picture books with a female Asian or Asian American protagonist. Themes that emerged in the findings included themes of family, main character identity, culture, and book author identity. Implications for disrupting these trends in publishing and for countering problematic trends through teacher decision making are discussed.