Off-kilter Children's Books
Maria Zabolotnaya
Children’s books are typically lighthearted reads created to enhance a child’s understanding of the world — whether it be a valuable moral lesson or an early explanation of why we have phenomena such as snow. Although kids are the target audience for these books, adults’ encounters with this type of literature is almost inevitable, especially for parents and educators. I chose to target this secondary audience through a medium meant for the primary. My goal in doing this was to bring attention to parental malpractices through an accessible form — simple rhymes and flat illustrations, presented with a touch of wry humor.
As a finished product, I created a set of picture books centering on the theme of bad parenting. The first book, titled Don’t Bother Mommy, focuses on parental neglect. Its story consists of a mother’s constant rejection of her child’s attention. Its successor, The Boy Named Skran, is about the ideological conditioning of a child by his parents. They teach him to be prejudiced against Skran, an immigrant boy that recently moved into the neighborhood with his family.