How the type and context of children's storybook reading relate to select empathy skills: a meta-analysis

This systematic literature review and meta-analysis explored the impact of storybook reading on four empathy-related skills (theory of mind, prosocial behavior, perspective-taking and emotional understanding), in relation to storybook format (digital/paper), content and type of reading (adult’s role: active/passive/or adult not present; intervention location and setting: individualized/shared). Included studies compared empathy between experimental (storybook reading) and control groups of N = 2,293 2- to 10-old children. We analyzed 21 eligible studies from 10 countries published between 1977 and 2022. The meta-analysis revealed an overall impact on empathy, but this effect only held significance for children’s prosocial skills. Research findings: There was no effect of format, and insufficient information to examine the effect of storybook content. No significant differences were found between children reading on their own or with an adult in an active or passive role. However, children reading in an independent or one-to-one context uniquely predicted overall empathy scores, while reading in groups did not. Practice or Policy: Our findings nuance the universal claim that storybook reading promotes children’s empathy with a specification that this may concern only children’s prosocial behavior and be best promoted in an individualized context.