ABSTRACT
This study demonstrates that there was never any confusion apparent in the children’s minds about the reality of the pictured and narrated worlds. Even (or especially) at 0-6 the picture of a baby on a packet remained exactly that, a picture printed on cardboard. However, the initial articulation of the question of reality came with anthropomorphism – ‘Animals can’t talk’ – perhaps the easiest of the aspects of reality to put into words, the anomaly that foregrounded the reality status for these children, perhaps because they lived with pets. This first awareness as a generalisation occurred at about the same age for both children (3-6, 3-7), although much earlier when referring to specific characters (2-5, 2-6). Both children had periods of intense interest in the topic of reality, Rebecca at 3-7 to 3-9 and again at 4-5 to 4-7, Ralph younger at 2-10 to 3-1 and 3-10 to 4-0.
