Negotiated Narratives of Wordless Picturebooks by Latinx Siblings Using Digital Tools

The qualitative case study explores how two Latinx emergent bilingual siblings engaged with wordless picturebook readings to construct narratives, drawing from their funds of knowledge, linguistic repertoires, and negotiated meaning. Through dialogic interactions with the books Chicken and Cat Clean Up and Fly, the siblings created narratives rich in plot descriptions, inferences, emotions, and literary elements. The study examines the types of oral narratives produced and the role of familial, cultural, and linguistic knowledge in the meaning-making process. Using discourse analysis, findings reveal how the children employed visual cues, direct speech, and storytelling conventions to build coherent narratives. Because the two reading events occurred one year apart, the analysis also considers changes and continuities in the siblings’ oral narrative construction, including their use of visual evidence, inferencing, literary devices, sibling negotiation, and digital tools. Meaning-making extends beyond the literal, incorporating their funds of knowledge related to home, social, and cultural experiences. The siblings negotiated interpretations of the book, revised their narratives, and exercised agency in their storytelling with the use of digital tools. The research highlights the potential of using wordless picturebooks to support literacy development with emergent bilinguals. It also values the use of digital technology that supports the interactive, exploratory meaning-making process of emergent bilinguals among siblings in the home context. These findings offer educators insights into recognizing and leveraging the literacy practices of culturally and linguistically diverse learners.