Intergenerational Jokes and Intertextuality in Picturebooks as a Mutual Territory of Different Generations

Abstract

Sandra Beckett (2012) dedicated her seminal study to crossover picturebooks, which are equally interesting to older and younger recipients, i.e. to the crossover audience of children and adults. Intergenerational encounters in children’s literature and been studied as a form of intergenerational play that is beneficial for readers as players, regardless of their individual age. Picturebook creators use various strategies to incorporate crossover content and appeal to readers of different generations. This paper focuses on two kinds of such strategies: intertextuality which draws on historical and cultural source texts, and on intergenerational jokes. These are clarified by using examples from Emily Gravett’s picturebook The Rabbit Problem (2009).