In this study, a literature analysis was made of three picture books to illustrate how gender and ethnicity are presented in the characters. The purpose of the study is to make visible what opportunities for identification the children may come across in picture books. The three books in the analysis are picture books written from 2011 and onwards and are intended for children aged 2-6 years. The analysis has been done by examining how the personal portrayal of the characters looks with a focus on gender and ethnicity, and what power regimes are depicted in picture books. The result shows that the books have a variety of characters and that the authors tried to broaden the gender stereotypes. For example, by not describing the characters by gender, portraying a masculinity that shows emotion and vulnerability, or by portraying strong and active women or girls. Some of the characters are still portrayed in a stereotypical way and in one of the three books the diversity is not as wide among the main characters as in the other books.