Narrating Care: An Expressive Criticism of ‘The Clean Garden

Abstract

This study examines the emotional and moral expressions in the children’s story al-Ḥadīqah an-Naẓīfah using the Expressive Criticism approach. The research aims to understand how the author’s feelings, values, and moral attitudes are conveyed through narrative and characters. A qualitative-descriptive method with thematic analysis was employed to identify recurring themes of disappointment, care, hope, and responsibility. Findings suggest that children’s literature can serve as an effective medium for the author to express emotions, communicate ethical values, and guide readers’ moral development.