Issues within Picturebooks Representing Pakistan and Afghanistan

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Picturebooks are known to invite a younger audience. Therefore, analysis of visual images and elements, along with the written narratives, is essential, as the illustrations "speak" in a language that is often more effective than mere words. Illustrators convey their particular sensibilites through the images, as authors do with words.

This article analyzes six picturebooks with plots that in some way center on the regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan. These books reveal patterns that raise key concerns about how these regions are represented. The book jackets reveal an array of accepted worldviews (Said, 1978) about these countries--for example, ruined backdrops, desert landscapes, and, for the characters, very distinct, yet dated, ways of dressing. The characters portrayed in these picturebooks do not accurately depict the regions' sociocultural development and are distinctly different from characters that represent U.S., Canadian, and Australian cultures. The titles' words signify a nonwestern setting as a hook to capture the audience's attention--The Carpet Boy's Gift (Shea, 2003), Ziba Came on a Boat (Lofthouse, 2007), The Old Woman and the Eagle (Shah, 2002), The Roses in My Carpets (Khan, 1988), Silly Chicken (Khan, 2005), and Ruler of the Courtyard (Khan, 2003)--to prepare western audiences for a disparate experience.

Author Rukhsana Khan, a native of Pakistan, moved to Canada at the age of 2. Notably, the three artists who illustrated these …