This book examines how challenging picturebooks—characterized by visual complexity, thematic depth, and formal innovation—forge pathways to inclusive learning across diverse educational settings.

It highlights their potential to foster visual literacy, emotional engagement, and critical thinking. Drawing on international case studies, the volume combines theory and practice to show how picturebooks can challenge aesthetic norms, resist exclusionary narratives, and promote educational equity. Chapters explore their use in contexts shaped by war, disability, trauma, and contested identities, illustrating how multimodal storytelling can cultivate empathy, agency, and critical literacy.

A valuable resource for researchers and educators in children’s literature and education, this collection offers practical insights into using picturebooks to advance inclusive pedagogy from early childhood through adult learning.

Åse Marie Ommundsen is Professor of Scandinavian Literature at Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway. She specializes in cognitively and emotionally complex picturebooks and their role in literacy development. An internationally recognized scholar and frequent keynote speaker, she has edited several volumes including Exploring Challenging Picturebooks in Education (Routledge, 2021).

Daniel Feldman is Senior Lecturer in English Literature at Bar-Ilan University, Israel, focusing on Holocaust and children’s literature. His work appears in major journals and is supported by grants from the Children’s Literature Association and the Israel Science Foundation.

Björn Sundmark is Professor of English Literature at Malmö University, Sweden, and a leading scholar in children’s literature. A former editor of Bookbird, he serves on the jury for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.