This essay will focus on the significance of gender in toys´ portrayed in children books for the age 3-5years. The aim for the essay, partly, is to highlight how gender stereotypes can come forth and affect children through the way toys are illustrated within children’s books. The essay will address books from two different time periods, the first period being the 40-50- 60's and the other being the 00´s. The questions to be addressed in this essay is; what type of toys’ children play with in the books used in the analysis, and if a change can be detected between the different time periods in terms of gender awareness in what type of toys are presented in the books.

The main method used in this essay is an iconological image analysis in which the first step is mapping, other methods used is analysis and interpretation. Four books have been analyzed from each time period compared, the comparison are done both time period to time period and within each time period, mainly using gender theory from Davis and Hirdman. Prominent concepts used in this essay is the once of socialization and segregation and that the modern view of gender is as something we create and instead of something entirely biological.

In the essay the toys’ are divided into three categories; toys for girls, toys for boys and gender neutral toys, where boy-toys and girl-toys are categorized as gender-stereotyped toys. In the books from the older time period the gender-stereotyped toys were the most frequent and few books were transgender (boys playing with girl toys´ and girls with boy toys´). However, one of the older books stood out, showing gender neutral toys and even containing a picture indicating transgender child’s play. In the books from the 00s, however, most of the toys were neutral. In these books there were also direct transgender pictures. To prevent the children from creating a more gender-stereotypical image of society it is important to consider that the toys’ that appear in children's books can influence children's views of gender. The books, in which the gender neutral toys’ are the most prominent, is the least prone to invite children to segregate and create basic differences between the sexes.