This essay defines unruly and imaginative play based on a variety of interdisciplinary sources. The study examines a selection of children’s picture books that showcase a kind of play that defies normative narrative pacing, power dynamics, and narrative sequence. Future research is recommended to further interdisciplinary discourse on the complexity of imaginative play in children’s literature in a way that honors children’s agency as storytellers.
Make-believe Play, Imaginative Play, Imagination, Where the Wild Things Are, Harold and the Purple Crayon, Play, Picture Books, Children's Literature, Childhood Development, Interactive, Interdisciplinary, Storytelling, Art and Design, Art Education, Arts and Humanities, Children's and Young Adult Literature, Curriculum and Instruction, Early Childhood Education, Educational Psychology, Elementary Education, Fiction, Liberal Studies
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