This research is to understand young children ontologically by examining features of young children
in the picture books for the early childhood. For the purpose, under the consultation with a picture
book specialist and three level process of selection, 4 picture books were chosen as analytic objects.
The study questions is as follows. What is ontological understandings on young children throughout
picture books for the early childhood? Under this purpose the books chosen were John Burningham's
, David Wiesner's , Hina Back's , Peter Sis's . The books went through dramaturgical coding and were thematised based on the theories of
ontological phenomenology. Study results show that young child-being appearing in the
picture-books are thematised as ‘multi layered being with Ntwurf and Geworfenheit(Aldo)’,
‘responsible being risen above greed(Plotsam)’, ‘reflective being on face of others(Fairy of
Jangsutang)’, ‘being who encourages educational response of adults.(Madlenka's Dog)’ These results
revealed that young child-being have features not different from (multi layered aspect of being),
unique from(encouraging educational response), and beyond adult-being(responsibility and response
towards others). Despite several limitations, this study helped understand the young children
ontologically by revealing that they, not only as developmental beings with imperfection, dependence,
and immaturity but as multi layered and requesting, responsible being, having the same features as
adults and, at times, rise above adult-being.