Children’s Book Illustration in Nigeria: An Analysis of Visual Representation and Cultural Content

Children's book illustration in Nigeria shapes early cognitive and cultural development, communicating values, identities, and worldviews through visual narratives that children encounter during formative years. This study analyses the visual representation and cultural content of illustrations in Nigerian children's books published between 2018 and 2023, focusing on books produced by publishers based in Lagos, Enugu, and Abuja. A content analysis methodology is applied to a purposive sample of 60 illustrated children's books, coding for the racial and ethnic representation of characters, cultural settings depicted, clothing and material culture elements shown, gender roles portrayed, and illustration technique and style. The analysis is supplemented by interviews with 10 illustrators and 8 children's book publishers. The theoretical framework draws on critical race theory in children's literature, visual narrative theory, and the cultural representation literature in media studies. The study examines whether recent years have produced a shift toward more authentically Nigerian visual content following criticism of earlier generations of Nigerian children's books for depicting characters and settings that were culturally ambiguous or Westernised. The role of the emerging self-publishing sector and digital printing platforms in diversifying the range of illustrative styles and cultural content available to Nigerian children is also assessed. Findings are intended for children's publishers, fine arts educators specialising in illustration, the Nigeria Publishers Association, and advocates for culturally affirming children's media. Keywords: children's book illustration, cultural representation, Nigeria, visual narrative, publishing