"Eyelids" by Michał Rusinek in the Light of Children's Interpretations
Abstract
The aim of this article is to identify children's ways of understanding and interpreting the book Eyelids by Michał Rusinek. The material for the study (preceded by an analysis of the iconotext), was provided by educational classes, conducted in a preschool department in one of the community primary schools in Łódź. The study was set in a qualitative paradigm (participatory observation), and the researchers put themeselves in the role of interpretively engaged observer-as-participants. By analysing the workshop, statements and artistic concretisations, it was possible to identify children's interpretations of the categories of characters, the relationships between them and the world in which they live. During the session with Rusinek's work, interpretative potential was revealed, touching primarily on the emotional and social dimension. Participants also proposed alternative plot solutions on the basis of excerpts from the story about mice in distress, thus reducing the tensions created by dealing with emotionally charged topics matter. The organisation of educational situations based on the book Eyelids is part of the discussion on how to confront children with challenging issues that are on the edge of cultural taboos. The way in which the text is received opens the way for it to be revisited in early childhood education.
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