In the article “Reading for a more sustainable society: why books influence how we see the world”, the lecturer and specialist in children’s and young adult literature education examines ecocritical literacy as the ability to read and interpret literary texts with attention to the relationships between human beings, natural environments and social structures.

“Literature reflects deeply embedded cultural patterns in how societies understand the world. The landscapes portrayed in books, the ways humans coexist with other species and representations of territory all help to shape this shared cultural imagination,” Pujol explains.

From this perspective, ecocritical literacy foregrounds readers’ capacity to recognise and interpret the interdependencies between people, ecosystems and social systems. As Pujol notes, “This approach can develop through individual reading, but also through the conversations that emerge around books.” To encourage critical and socio-environmental awareness, she proposes a series of guiding questions, such as:

• How is nature represented in the text or illustrations?
• What role does physical space play in the development of the narrative?
• What relationships are established between humans, animals and their environments?
• What social or cultural values are conveyed through these representations?

Green Dialogues library

Drawing on the international teaching and research project Green Dialogues, in which UIC Barcelona has participated, Pujol presents a carefully curated selection of children’s and young adult literature. The works address themes such as migration, historical memory, human–animal relationships, social inequality, consumerism and landscape transformation, and are designed to encourage reading practices informed by ecocritical awareness.

The role of reading mediators

“Teachers, families, librarians, booksellers and other cultural influencers can help children and young people discover works that encourage them to reflect on sustainability, coexistence and social justice,” argues the lecturer, who highlights the importance of reading mediators. According to the author, the selection of works “should not be based solely on thematic criteria. Children’s and young adult literature cannot be reduced to a mere tool serving educational or social objectives. Works must be chosen first and foremost for their literary and aesthetic value, for their ability to engage readers through the artistic experience”.

The Faculty of Education Sciences lecturer concludes the article by emphasising that “literature can help broaden the awareness with which children and young people observe the world around them”.