Wise characters as role models in Turkish children’s literature

In moments when opposites such as good and bad or right and wrong make life complicated, we need the presence of wise individuals to help resolve conflicts. Therefore, in this study, we aim to identify the appearances of wise characters in children’s books. We examine books written for children by various authors, initially focusing on wise characters and Albert Bandura’s social learning theory while applying descriptive analysis. We then deepen the understanding of portrayals of wisdom according to the gender, age, appearance, and problem-solving methods of the characters. As a result, we see that there are wise characters in the works we examine who can guide child readers with their actions and discourses, and we find that these characters are presented in the examined books with rich perspectives. © 2023 eum (Edizioni Università di Macerata, Italy).