Effects of Picture Book Reading on Young Children’s Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Animals

Mayuko Kato-Shimizu; Yuanmeng Liu; Naoko Koda

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijla.20251306.16

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Effects of Picture Book Reading on Young Children’s Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Animals

Mayuko Kato-Shimizu

, Yuanmeng Liu, Naoko Koda^*

Published in International Journal of Literature and Arts (Volume 13, Issue 6)

Received: 28 October 2025 Accepted: 14 November 2025 Published: 17 December 2025

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Abstract

Reading picture books to young children is expected to develop their cognition and imagination and contribute to the acquisition of their knowledge of and attitudes toward various things and phenomena. This study created a science picture book about guinea pigs and examined the effects of reading it on young children’s knowledge of and attitudes toward animals. Interviews were conducted with 81 five-year-old kindergarteners (47 boys and 34 girls) in pre- and post-reading sessions. Each child was asked about the physical characteristics and ecology of guinea pigs, proper care for them, and their attitudes toward guinea pigs and other animals. After reading, the children’s animal knowledge significantly improved, and more came to believe that all animals, including guinea pigs, had emotions. Regardless of the experience of keeping pets, the children deepened their knowledge and understanding of animals. Girls scored higher than boys in terms of knowledge of proper care. These findings suggest that picture books function effectively as a medium for developing knowledge of and empathic attitudes toward animals. Educators should focus more on knowledge of caregiving behaviors, especially for boys. Children can indirectly encounter animals through picture books, which foster their understanding of and empathy toward animals. Furthermore, the characteristics of guinea pigs as rodents appeared in the picture book, were considered to strengthen the effects on young children. These findings can contribute to the design of animal education programs that use picture books and educational materials for other animal species.

Published in	International Journal of Literature and Arts (Volume 13, Issue 6)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijla.20251306.16
Page(s)	160-167
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Attitudes Toward Animals, Gender Differences, Guinea Pigs, Knowledge About Animals, Picture Book Reading, Young Children

References

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Kato-Shimizu, M., Liu, Y., Koda, N. (2025). Effects of Picture Book Reading on Young Children’s Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Animals. International Journal of Literature and Arts, 13(6), 160-167. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20251306.16

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Kato-Shimizu, M.; Liu, Y.; Koda, N. Effects of Picture Book Reading on Young Children’s Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Animals. Int. J. Lit. Arts 2025, 13(6), 160-167. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20251306.16

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AMA Style

Kato-Shimizu M, Liu Y, Koda N. Effects of Picture Book Reading on Young Children’s Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Animals. Int J Lit Arts. 2025;13(6):160-167. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20251306.16

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@article{10.11648/j.ijla.20251306.16,
  author = {Mayuko Kato-Shimizu and Yuanmeng Liu and Naoko Koda},
  title = {Effects of Picture Book Reading on Young Children’s Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Animals},
  journal = {International Journal of Literature and Arts},
  volume = {13},
  number = {6},
  pages = {160-167},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijla.20251306.16},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20251306.16},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijla.20251306.16},
  abstract = {Reading picture books to young children is expected to develop their cognition and imagination and contribute to the acquisition of their knowledge of and attitudes toward various things and phenomena. This study created a science picture book about guinea pigs and examined the effects of reading it on young children’s knowledge of and attitudes toward animals. Interviews were conducted with 81 five-year-old kindergarteners (47 boys and 34 girls) in pre- and post-reading sessions. Each child was asked about the physical characteristics and ecology of guinea pigs, proper care for them, and their attitudes toward guinea pigs and other animals. After reading, the children’s animal knowledge significantly improved, and more came to believe that all animals, including guinea pigs, had emotions. Regardless of the experience of keeping pets, the children deepened their knowledge and understanding of animals. Girls scored higher than boys in terms of knowledge of proper care. These findings suggest that picture books function effectively as a medium for developing knowledge of and empathic attitudes toward animals. Educators should focus more on knowledge of caregiving behaviors, especially for boys. Children can indirectly encounter animals through picture books, which foster their understanding of and empathy toward animals. Furthermore, the characteristics of guinea pigs as rodents appeared in the picture book, were considered to strengthen the effects on young children. These findings can contribute to the design of animal education programs that use picture books and educational materials for other animal species.},
 year = {2025}
}

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TY - JOUR
T1 - Effects of Picture Book Reading on Young Children’s Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Animals
AU - Mayuko Kato-Shimizu
AU - Yuanmeng Liu
AU - Naoko Koda
Y1 - 2025/12/17
PY - 2025
N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20251306.16
DO - 10.11648/j.ijla.20251306.16
T2 - International Journal of Literature and Arts
JF - International Journal of Literature and Arts
JO - International Journal of Literature and Arts
SP - 160
EP - 167
PB - Science Publishing Group
SN - 2331-057X
UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20251306.16
AB - Reading picture books to young children is expected to develop their cognition and imagination and contribute to the acquisition of their knowledge of and attitudes toward various things and phenomena. This study created a science picture book about guinea pigs and examined the effects of reading it on young children’s knowledge of and attitudes toward animals. Interviews were conducted with 81 five-year-old kindergarteners (47 boys and 34 girls) in pre- and post-reading sessions. Each child was asked about the physical characteristics and ecology of guinea pigs, proper care for them, and their attitudes toward guinea pigs and other animals. After reading, the children’s animal knowledge significantly improved, and more came to believe that all animals, including guinea pigs, had emotions. Regardless of the experience of keeping pets, the children deepened their knowledge and understanding of animals. Girls scored higher than boys in terms of knowledge of proper care. These findings suggest that picture books function effectively as a medium for developing knowledge of and empathic attitudes toward animals. Educators should focus more on knowledge of caregiving behaviors, especially for boys. Children can indirectly encounter animals through picture books, which foster their understanding of and empathy toward animals. Furthermore, the characteristics of guinea pigs as rodents appeared in the picture book, were considered to strengthen the effects on young children. These findings can contribute to the design of animal education programs that use picture books and educational materials for other animal species.
VL - 13
IS - 6
ER -

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Author Information

Mayuko Kato-Shimizu

Graduate School of Education, Hyogo University of Teacher Education, Hyogo, Japan

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http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8293-2404
Yuanmeng Liu

Graduate School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, Japan

Contact Email
Naoko Koda

Graduate School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, Japan

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8634-1233

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APA Style

Kato-Shimizu, M., Liu, Y., Koda, N. (2025). Effects of Picture Book Reading on Young Children’s Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Animals. International Journal of Literature and Arts, 13(6), 160-167. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20251306.16

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ACS Style

Kato-Shimizu, M.; Liu, Y.; Koda, N. Effects of Picture Book Reading on Young Children’s Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Animals. Int. J. Lit. Arts 2025, 13(6), 160-167. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20251306.16

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AMA Style

Kato-Shimizu M, Liu Y, Koda N. Effects of Picture Book Reading on Young Children’s Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Animals. Int J Lit Arts. 2025;13(6):160-167. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20251306.16

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@article{10.11648/j.ijla.20251306.16,
  author = {Mayuko Kato-Shimizu and Yuanmeng Liu and Naoko Koda},
  title = {Effects of Picture Book Reading on Young Children’s Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Animals},
  journal = {International Journal of Literature and Arts},
  volume = {13},
  number = {6},
  pages = {160-167},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijla.20251306.16},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20251306.16},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijla.20251306.16},
  abstract = {Reading picture books to young children is expected to develop their cognition and imagination and contribute to the acquisition of their knowledge of and attitudes toward various things and phenomena. This study created a science picture book about guinea pigs and examined the effects of reading it on young children’s knowledge of and attitudes toward animals. Interviews were conducted with 81 five-year-old kindergarteners (47 boys and 34 girls) in pre- and post-reading sessions. Each child was asked about the physical characteristics and ecology of guinea pigs, proper care for them, and their attitudes toward guinea pigs and other animals. After reading, the children’s animal knowledge significantly improved, and more came to believe that all animals, including guinea pigs, had emotions. Regardless of the experience of keeping pets, the children deepened their knowledge and understanding of animals. Girls scored higher than boys in terms of knowledge of proper care. These findings suggest that picture books function effectively as a medium for developing knowledge of and empathic attitudes toward animals. Educators should focus more on knowledge of caregiving behaviors, especially for boys. Children can indirectly encounter animals through picture books, which foster their understanding of and empathy toward animals. Furthermore, the characteristics of guinea pigs as rodents appeared in the picture book, were considered to strengthen the effects on young children. These findings can contribute to the design of animal education programs that use picture books and educational materials for other animal species.},
 year = {2025}
}

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