By Bazlin Zulkifili

Many parents think of storybooks as a simple bedtime routine. They seem to see it only as a moment before sleep or a way to encourage reading habits. However, children’s storybooks are much more than colourful illustrations and entertaining adventures. Every character, dialogue, and plot teaches children something about the world around them. Whether intentionally or not, these stories help shape the moral values that young readers carry into adulthood.

In today’s digital age, children are exposed to countless sources of information through social media, streaming platforms, online games, and artificial intelligence. While these technologies provide educational opportunities, they also expose children to misinformation, harmful stereotypes, and unhealthy behaviours. As attention spans become shorter and screen time continues to rise, many educators and parents are asking an important question: how can we ensure that children continue to develop positive values such as kindness, honesty, empathy, and respect?

One answer may already be sitting on our bookshelves.

Research in language and education has consistently shown that storybooks play an important role in children’s moral development. Unlike direct instruction, stories allow children to experience situations through fictional characters. They witness the consequences of honesty and dishonesty, kindness and cruelty, courage and fear. Instead of simply being told what is right or wrong, children learn by following characters’ choices, emotions, and relationships.

What makes storybooks especially powerful is the language they use. Authors carefully choose words, dialogues, and narrative structures that subtly guide readers towards certain moral perspectives. A caring character is often described using warm and positive language, while selfish behaviour may be presented through conflict or negative consequences. Even small linguistic choices, such as the adjectives used to describe characters or the way conversations unfold, influence how children judge actions and develop their own understanding of acceptable behaviour.

This growing understanding has inspired researchers to examine children’s literature more closely. Rather than focusing only on the themes of a story, researchers now analyse how language itself constructs moral lessons. By studying vocabulary, dialogue, narrative voice, and character interactions, researchers can identify the linguistic strategies authors use to promote values such as compassion, responsibility, perseverance, and respect for diversity.

Such research offers practical benefits beyond the academic world. Educators can use these findings to select books that reinforce positive character development in the classroom. Parents can become more aware of the messages hidden within the stories they read to their children each night. Publishers and authors can also create stories that are both engaging and socially meaningful without becoming overly preachy.

This research is particularly relevant today because not all children’s content promotes healthy values. Some stories unintentionally reinforce gender stereotypes, encourage materialism, or oversimplify complex social issues. Others prioritise entertainment over meaningful learning. By analysing how language conveys moral values, researchers can help identify both the strengths and weaknesses of children’s literature, encouraging the publication of books that better support children’s emotional and ethical development.

Importantly, research does not suggest that every story should teach an obvious moral lesson. Children benefit most from stories that encourage critical thinking rather than providing simple answers. A well-written story invites readers to reflect on characters’ decisions, understand different perspectives, and discuss difficult situations with parents or teachers. These conversations often become the most valuable lessons of all.

As adults, we sometimes underestimate the influence of the stories we share with children. Yet many of us still remember the books that shaped our own childhoods. We remember characters who inspired courage, friendship, generosity, or resilience. Those memories demonstrate that stories remain with us long after we have turned the final page.

The next time we choose a storybook for a child, perhaps we should look beyond colourful illustrations or bestselling titles. Instead, we should ask what values the story communicates and how its language encourages children to understand themselves and others. After all, every bedtime story is also an opportunity to nurture empathy, integrity, and compassion.

Books do more than teach children how to read. They help teach children how to live. By supporting research into the language of children’s literature and making thoughtful choices about the books we place in young hands, we can ensure that stories continue to shape not only better readers, but also kinder and more responsible members of society.

The author is an undergraduate student of Universiti Malaya, taking an elective university course entitled “Introduction to Journalism and Storytelling in Digital Age”, and may be contacted via nahrizuladib@um.edu.my