Browsing by Author "Vanhakarhu-Kohonen, Henna"

Aims: The aim of this research was to find out how becoming an older sibling was described in seven different picture books. The purpose was to find out how an older sibling expresses their emotions in the seven picture books chosen for this research and how the main character practises their emotional skills. Studies have shown that parents often use picture books to assist in the preparation of the older child for the birth of a sibling. I was interested in finding out the ways the main character expressed their feelings and how they practised their emotional skills in a life-changing situation that carries both positive and negative feelings. Methods: This research used the qualitative method and additionally content analysis was used to analyse the seven books chosen for this study. The research questions were: 1. How does the main character express their emotions during mother’s pregnancy? 2. How does the main character express their feelings after the baby was born? 3. How were emotional skills practised in the selected picture books? Results: The main characters’ emotional expressions were varied in the seven books analysed for this study. There were similarities in the way the emotional skills were practiced in the picture books as they were represented in the theoretical background of this study.