Introducing picturebooks on affective-sexual diversity to young readers: a collaborative initiative between Santa María Municipal Library and Tierra de Todos Foundation (Cádiz)

Abstract

This work explores how affective-sexual and gender diversity is represented in multimodal children’s and young adult literature, focusing on picturebooks and comics. The analysis is based on a corpus of works found in the catalogue of the Santa María Municipal Library in Cádiz, with the aim of examining the presence of these topics in its collection. The research combines a documentary analysis with an ethnographic approach, through reading workshops conducted with primary school students linked to the Fundación Centro Tierra de Todos, located in the same neighborhood as the library. These sessions, centered on diversity and inclusion, also involve library staff, foundation members, students and the reading mediator who leads this project. The study provides a contextualized view of the current situation and highlights the need to expand the reading repertoire on affective-sexual and gender diversity in educational and library settings through contemporary, inclusive, and multimodal works. It also emphasizes the importance of building collaborative networks among schools, public libraries, and organizations dedicated to children and youth, with the goal of promoting critical thinking, social equity, and reading enjoyment from early educational stages.