This study shows that Indigenous picture books can support children’s understanding of identity, belonging, resilience, and relationships in meaningful ways. Across the books analysed, identity and resilience were represented not mainly as individual traits, but as relational and culturally grounded processes connected to family, community, culture, and land. This aligns with Indigenous perspectives that understand identity and resilience as relational and grounded in relationships, community, and culture (Archibald, 2008; Heid et al., 2022).
Return to key findingsThe findings suggest that Indigenous children’s picture books are more than classroom reading materials. They can function as cultural texts that communicate teachings about relationships, care, continuity, and responsibility. In this study, identity and resilience were expressed through everyday experiences, intergenerational care, and participation in cultural life, highlighting the importance of connection, community, and cultural continuity in children’s learning.
The findings suggest that Indigenous-authored picture books can help children explore identity in ways that are relational, culturally grounded, and meaningful. Because identity in these books is often represented through family, community, and land, educators can use them to support conversations about belonging, relationships, and cultural respect in early childhood and elementary settings.
These books also invite a broader understanding of resilience. Rather than focusing only on independence, coping, or personal success, the stories often present resilience as something shaped by care, memory, shared practices, and intergenerational support. This can help educators approach resilience as a relational process grounded in connection and community, consistent with research that understands Indigenous resilience in relational terms (Heid et al., 2022).
The study highlights the value of choosing books that communicate meaning through both words and illustrations. Teachers and educators can pay attention not only to what the text says, but also to how images represent emotion, place, relationships, and cultural continuity. This is especially important in picture books, where illustrations play a central role in meaning-making for young children (Pantaleo, 2015).
These findings also suggest that Indigenous literature should not be used only for isolated topics, holidays, or special events. Including Indigenous picture books more regularly in classroom and program experiences may help create learning environments that are more inclusive, reflective, and responsive to Indigenous perspectives (Stagg Peterson & Robinson, 2020).
The significance of these findings also extends to children and families. Literature that reflects children’s identities, histories, and communities can support self-esteem, emotional well-being, and a stronger sense of belonging (Young et al., 2017).
For Indigenous children, culturally authentic picture books may provide affirming mirrors of identity, language, relationships, and lived experience. Seeing family, culture, and land represented with care and respect may support positive identity development and a stronger sense of cultural continuity.
For all children, these books can expand understandings of community, responsibility, and relational ways of living. They can help children learn that identity is not only about the individual, but also about how people are connected to others, to place, and to shared histories and responsibilities.
The study supports the importance of selecting Indigenous-authored and culturally grounded books for schools, libraries, and community programs. Because the books analysed reflected Indigenous perspectives on identity, resilience, and relationships, careful book selection matters for creating respectful and meaningful learning opportunities.
The findings suggest that curriculum frameworks and educational policies should continue to support the inclusion of Indigenous literature in ways that are thoughtful and authentic. Policies that encourage collaboration with Indigenous communities in the selection and use of educational materials may help strengthen cultural respect, representation, and accountability.
This study contributes to existing research by examining a group of contemporary Indigenous picture books through both narrative and visual analysis. It also points to areas that could be explored further in future studies.
While this study focused on the books themselves, future research could explore how children, educators, and families actually respond to these texts in classrooms, libraries, and community settings. This would help deepen understanding of how the books influence meaning, identity, and relationships in practice.
The findings also show that illustrations are important in communicating cultural meaning. Further research could examine visual storytelling in greater depth, including how colour, composition, symbolism, and representations of land and relationships shape children’s understandings of Indigenous picture books.
Overall, this study suggests that Indigenous children’s picture books are valuable in both education and children’s everyday reading experiences. They offer culturally grounded ways of understanding identity, resilience, belonging, and responsibility, and remind us that stories can be powerful spaces for relationship, learning, and continuity (Archibald, 2008).
For educators, librarians, caregivers, and researchers, these findings reinforce the importance of choosing books that do more than include Indigenous content on the surface. The most meaningful texts are those that communicate Indigenous perspectives through authentic storytelling, relational themes, and the combined power of words and images.
Additional practical resources for using storytelling in educational settings are available here: Storytelling Pedagogy Website.