Historical Narrative in War Picture Books: Examining the Negotiation among Text, Image, and Collective Memory through Literature Review

Abstract

This study systematically reviews academic literature on war-themed picture books to construct a cross-cultural and interdisciplinary analytical framework. Focusing on how this medium represents historical trauma, constructs collective memory, and conveys ideals of peace education, the research is grounded in theoretical perspectives from semiotics, narratology, and memory studies. Through a critical synthesis of domestic and international scholarship, it traces an evolution in research themes—from early content description and historical verification toward multidimensional analyses of narrative strategies, visual rhetoric, reader reception, and socio-cultural implications. The findings reveal that war picture books, as distinctive cultural texts, engage in complex meaning-making processes. These involve intertextual dynamics between image and text, dialogues between individual experience and grand historical narratives, and interpretive divergences shaped by varying national and regional historical contexts. While clarifying key academic trajectories and core debates, this review also identifies limitations in theoretical depth, cross-cultural breadth, and methodological innovation. Future research should integrate insights from visual culture studies, psychology, and education, while expanding focus to include non-mainstream narratives and digital forms. Such directions will offer finer-grained insights into the role of war picture books in shaping historical consciousness, facilitating intergenerational dialogue, and advancing cultures of peace.