The thesis entitled "Analysing Andreja Peklar's picture books in the first years of life" is divided into a theoretical and an empirical part. The theoretical part is written on the basis of selected literature, while the empirical part is carried out in the form of activities with children in kindergarten and then analysed. In the theoretical part, I have defined the picture book, its function and character as well as the picture book theories. I described the development of language and the phases of imitation that are important for its development. I have defined the factors of speech development that we need to pay attention to in the first year of life. I have illustrated the effects of reading on language development in early childhood by comparing children who were also systematically read to with those who were not. As reading promotes visual literacy and emotional literacy, I focussed on empathy, which is one of the most important social skills. The continuum of emotional literacy and illiteracy is called the "emotional awareness scale" in which I highlighted eight categories. I concluded the theoretical part with the biography of the author Andreja Peklar, in which I highlighted her works and awards. In the empirical part of the work, I introduced the children to three picture books by the author Andreja Peklar and analysed them with them: Moon and Me (2019), A Thousand Birds (2021) and The Boy with the Red Riding Hood (2005). The aim of the analysis was for the children to learn about emotions, friendship as an example of safety, trust and caring for each other.
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