An investigation of the Portrayal of Gender Role Stereotypes in Children’s Literature and the Influence it has on a Child’s Creativity Rebecca Amy Dykes Previous studies from authors such as Brugeilles, Nahara, Smith, Wharton, Watkins demonstrate the presence of gender stereotypes in children’s literature and how books play an integral role in how a child makes sense of the world. This study aims to look at whether this stereotyping in children’s literature is reflected in a child’s creativity. A semiotic approach to the prescribed readings for children between the ages of 7-8 attending 2nd class in first level education in Ireland will be taken to analyse the content. This analysis will contribute to a comparative study with the data collected from a narrative inquiry conducted with children from a local primary school.