William's Doll

The book William's Doll, written by Charlotte Zolotow and illustrated by William Péne du Bois in 1972 tells the story of a young boy who wanted a doll to play with. However, his father with the traditional gender roles mentality, tried to redirect him by showing him more “boy” toys, like a basketball and a train. However, then he finds support from his grandmother who believes the it is okay to want to care for something especially if he wants to be a father some day. 

At a time where most children's books stuck to strict gender roles, in both storytelling and visual design, this book challenged those ideals. Color palette's in children's media were heavily gendered, though, this book broke apart from that by including illustrations that used more neutral colors, avoiding the stereotypical colors that would usually shout “boy” or “girl”. The author, Zolotow often wrote emotionally honest stories, and this book was one example of that.  Her inspiration came from a personal experience with her husband believing that stuffed animals were feminine, and refused to get one for their son. 

This book is important because it reflects how visual communication can foster more inclusive, emotionally intelligent narratives. The use of muted color palettes were used to reinforce empathy instead of focusing on gender norms, and marked a step towards more thoughtful human-centered design rather than limiting it to a specific range of people.