Positive Framing in Children’s Pandemic Narratives: A Case Study of the Cerita Ceritaku Ceritamu Corona Edition Book

Main Article Content

Riama Maslan Sihombing
Ester Anggun Kusumaningtyas

Abstract

The children’s book Cerita Ceritaku Ceritamu Corona Edition (C3EC) is the first book in Indonesia to narrate the children’s experiences in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. The book was written by 23 Indonesian children from Banda Aceh to Papua, with each story visualised by some of the children’s book illustrators. A difference is evident in perspective between the writers in the textual narrative and the illustrators in the visual narrative. The textual narrative in the story frequently depicted conflicts, with 56% focusing on challenges related to online learning and limited playtime. The majority climax phase of the textual narrative expresses the negative mood, characterised by struggle, sadness, and hopelessness. In contrast, the illustrators predominantly visualised the resolution phase, with 51% of characters portrayed as happy and 8% as sad. This study aims to uncover why illustrators chose favourable conditions during the pandemic and focused on the resolution phase when determining visual narrative scenes. This research used a mixed method. Data were collected through literature review, observation, interviews, and questionnaires. These findings describe the selection of the illustrator’s favourable conditions, the selection of the resolution phase, and the creative process behind the C3EC book story. This study’s impact shows that illustrators felt a responsibility to inspire resilience in readers, thereby transcending the author’s perspectives.

Article Details

How to Cite
Riama Maslan Sihombing, and Ester Anggun Kusumaningtyas. 2025. “Positive Framing in Children’s Pandemic Narratives: A Case Study of the Cerita Ceritaku Ceritamu Corona Edition Book”. Wacana Seni Journal of Arts Discourse 24 (September): 96–109. https://doi.org/10.21315/ws2025.24.7.
Section
Original Articles

References

Al-Hinaai, Samiya Nasser. 2021. “What Is the Importance and Impact of Illustrations in Children’s Books? An Investigation into Children’s Responses to Illustrations.” Arab Journal for Scientific Publishing 30: 92–118. https://www.ajsp.net/research/Samiya.pdf

Bao, Xue, Hang Qu, Ruixiong Zhang, and Tiffany P. Hogan. 2020. “Modelling Reading Ability Gain in Kindergarten Children during COVID-19 School Closures.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17(17): 1–13. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17176371

Batič, Janja, and Dragica Haramija. 2015. “The Importance of Visual Reading for Interpretation of a Literary Text.” CEPS Journal 5(4): 31–49. https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.112

Chen, Ruijun, Meng-Chun Tsai, and Yaw-Shyan Tsay. 2022. “Effect of Colour Temperature and Illuminance on Psychology, Physiology, and Productivity: An Experimental Study.” Energies 15(12): 1–23. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15124477

Dueñas-Lorente, José-Domingo. 2022. “Reading the Irony in the Picture-Book.” Ocnos 21(2): 1–13. https://doi.org/10.18239/ocnos_2022.21.2.2924

Eiseman, Leatrice. 2017. The Complete Color Harmony, Pantone Edition: Expert Color Information for Professional Results. Massachusetts: Rockport Publishers.

Hanesová, Dana. 2021. “Young Children’s Concepts of Good and Evil Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Qualitative Research Study.” Religions 12(9): 714. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12090714

Kardari, Lisna Dewi, Gusti Ayu Made Rai Suarniti, and Ni Nyoman Kertiasih. 2023. “Plot in Justin Lin’s The Fate of the Furious Movie.” Klausa: Kajian Linguistik, Pembelajaran Bahasa, dan Sastra 7(2): 106–114. https://doi.org/10.33479/klausa.v7i2.867

Kusumaningrum, Santi, Clara Siagian, and Harriot Beazley. 2022. “Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Children and Young People’s Vulnerability and Wellbeing in Indonesia.” Children’s Geographies 20(4): 437–447. https://doi.org/10.1080/14733285.2021.1900544

Lubis, Hairani, and Diah Rahayu. 2021. “Expressive Writing Therapy dalam Mengelola Kecemasan dalam pada Masa Pandemi COVID-19.” Jurnal Masyarakat Mandiri 5(4): 1–8. https://journal.ummat.ac.id/index.php/jmm/article/view/5116

McMellon, Christina, and Alice MacLachlan. 2021. “Young People’s Rights and Mental Health during a Pandemic: An Analysis of the Impact of Emergency Legislation in Scotland.” Young 29(4_suppl): S11–S34. https://doi.org/10.1177/11033088211032783

Nafrin, Irinna Aulia, and Hudaidah Hudaidah. 2021. “Perkembangan Pendidikan Indonesia di Masa Pandemi COVID-19.” Edukatif: Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan 3(2): 456–462. https://doi.org/10.31004/edukatif.v3i2.324

Nikiforidou, Zoi, and Eleni Doni. 2022. “Go Away from This Galaxy Coronavirus: Children’s Meanings and Feelings of the COVID-19 Pandemic through Narrated Drawings.” European Early Childhood Education Research Journal 31(2): 178–190. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293X.2022.2098993

Pombo, Ana, Catarina Luz, Luís Paulo Rodrigues, Cláudia Ferreira, and Rita Cordovil. 2020. “Correlates of Children’s Physical Activity during the COVID-19 Confinement in Portugal.” Public Health 189: 14–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2020.09.009

Ramadinoto, Raden Daru. 2021. Kajian Visual Penggambaran Kondisi Anak-Anak Menghadapi COVID-19 pada Ilustrasi Cerpen Buku Ceritaku Ceritamu Edisi Corona. Master’s thesis, Institut Teknologi Bandung.

Rogers, Sue. 2022. “Play in the Time of Pandemic: Children’s Agency and Lost Learning.” Education 3–13 50(4): 494–505. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2022.2052235

Tabrani, Primadi. 2011. Belajar dari Sejarah dan Lingkungan. 2nd ed. Bandung: Penerbit ITB.

Thorsteinsen, Kjærsti, Elizabeth J. Parks-Stamm, Marte Olsen, Marie Kvalø, and Sarah E. Martiny. 2021. “The Impact of COVID-19-Induced Changes at Schools on Elementary Students’ School Engagement.” Frontiers in Psychology 12: 687611. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.687611

Tresnadi, Chandra, and Agus Sachari. 2015. “Identification of Values of Ornaments in Indonesian Batik in Visual Content of Nitiki Game.” Journal of Arts and Humanities 4(8): 25–39. https://www.theartsjournal.org/index.php/site/article/view/797

Wahidiyat, Mita Purbasari. 2021. “Warm Colours, the Encouragement.” Humaniora 12(1): 61–67. https://doi.org/10.21512/humaniora.v12i1.6973

Widagdo, Jati, Adzrool Idzwan Ismail, and Asmidah binti Alwi. 2021. “Study of the Function, Meaning, and Shape of Indonesian Batik from Time to Time.” ICON ARCCADE 2021: The 2nd International Conference on Art, Craft, Culture and Design (ICON-ARCCADE 2021) 625: 1–7. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.211228.001