CONTENTS:
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Picture Books
- Picture Book: A book in which the text and pictures are equally important
- Illustrated book: A book in which the text is primary
- Wordless picture book: A book containing only pictures. NB: There is controversy as to whether a wordless book can be considered literature. Many wordless picture books can the literary elements we look for in texts: view, theme, character studies, setting, tone.
- Narrative art: art that tells a story. Picture books are a form of narrative art.
THE ILLUSTRATIONS IN PICTURE BOOKS
- Illusion: a technique used by artists to make us see things that are not really there: distance, depth, texture.
- Illustrations in picture books must project a mood that is appropriate to the text.
Principal Elements of the Art of Illustration
The principal elements of the art of illustration are: line, space, shape, color, texture, composition, perspective.
- Line
- to define objects by outlining
- to suggest movement, distance, feeling/emotional responses
- curves, circles: warmth, coziness, security
- sharp, zigzag: excitement and rapid movement
- horizontal: calm, stability
- vertical: height, distance
- figures at top of page: further away than those at bottom or sides
- Space (very powerful)
- draws attention to specific forms on the page
- generous use of space: emptiness, loneliness, isolation
- lack of open space: claustrophobic feeling, confusion, chaos
- Shape
- massive grouped shapes: stability, enclosure, confinement, awkwardness
- lighter, delicate shapes: movement, grace, freedom
- rounded: similar to curved and circular lines
- squarish, angular shapes: excitable reaction
- Color
- children do not require brightly colored pictures
- color can detract from the text if overpowering or inappropriate
- the least imaginatively used artistic element in childrenıs picture books (that is, conventional colors are used, for example, for the sky, grass, etc.)
- psychology of color (cultural phenomena)
- reds, yellow: excitement
- blues, greens: calm, quiet
- purple, royalty
- green: envy, illness
- blue: depression
- yellow: cowardice
- used to suggest cultural distinctions
- Texture
- creating characteristics of a three-dimensional surface on a flat surface
- used to emphasize the realistic quality of a picture
- used to enrich the visual experience and to stimulate the viewerıs imagination
- Composition/Perspective
- Composition: the arrangement of the details in the picture
- good composition creates a sense of rhythm in moving from page to page--a rhythm that is in keeping with the narration
- good composition creates a sense of unity between the illustrations and the text integrating them into one on the page
- Perspective: the vantage point from which the viewer looks on at the objects or events in the picture
Artistic styles found in childrenıs books
- Representationalism: presents objects realistically, but not necessarily photographically; may be used with non-realistic subjects
- Expressionism: deliberate distortion and exaggeration using line, space, color, shape, texture, composition; abstraction is extreme expressionism
- Impressionism: uses splashes, speckles, dots of paint to achieve an interplay between color and light; creates a dreamlike effect; distances the viewer from the action
- Surrealism: an otherwise realistically depicted object subjected to unnatural juxtapositions and bizarre incongruities; the product can be nightmarish
- Cartoon: uses gross exaggerations and distortions for satiric or humorous effect; uses solid lines and bold, unshaded colors
- Folk Art: designs and images peculiar to a specific culture--to effect the mood of the culture; particularly suited to folktales
- Photography: used mostly in realistic stories and informational books
Artistic media
- Painterly techniques:using paint as the primary medium--watercolors, tempera, gouache, poster color, oil paint, acrylics, pastels, chalk, pencil, ink, crayons
- Graphic techniques: blocks or plates that are inked and imprinted on paper--woodblocks, linocuts (linoleum), scratchboard, stone lithography
- Montage (grouping of different pictures or designs to create a single picture) and collage (grouping materials--string, cotton, weeds--with pictures to create a single picture)
Picture-book layout
- text must be carefully placed in relation to the pictures
- the pictures must illustrate what the accompanying text describes (called juxtaposition)
THE STORIES IN PICTURE BOOKS
- Principal types of stories
- Folktales, legends, myths
- initially passed by word-of-mouth
- adhere to the traditional storytelling patterns: often begin with ³Once upon a time² and end with a ³happily ever after²
- typically take place in an imaginary place where magic is commonplace
- Modern fantasy stories
- take place in modern settings and employ magic as a principal feature
- most omit the potentially threatening forces of evil that characterize the folktales
- Talking animal stories
- avoid magic
- focus on everyday issues in quite realistic contemporary settings
- early exposure to symbolism: animal or inanimate characters symbolize facets of human nature
- Realistic stories
- few subject taboo in childrenıs picture books today
- includes complexities of our world
- literature for children is foremost for enjoyment
- expose children to other cultures; depict sympathetic characters with whom the child can identify or empathize
- children like to read stories about other children who are like themselves
- Narrative elements
- Plot: sequence of events leading to a specific goal
- must be clear and fairly direct
- should have a clearly defined beginning, middle, end
- focuses on a conflict which must be resolved
- conflict can be internal (struggle within a character) or external (between characters)
- for young children the plot must use a simple, chronological time frame; more complex plot structures for older children
- young children like action, suspense, humor
- Character
- focus is one character
- character is a human (usually a child) or an animal with childlike qualities
- characterizations are quite simple (picture books are not long enough for complex character development)
- Setting
- usually conveyed visually by picture
- still a story element because setting determines much of how and why things happen in the story
- success depends on effective selection of scenes
- Subject and theme
- subject should hold meaning for a young child (e.g. child disobedience but not toxic waste disposal)
- theme--the principal idea that governs the story (e.g. disobedience of parental authority often results in dire consequences)--should not be confused with morals or lessons (didactic stories)
- Literary style
- boredom results which something is either too simple (all common monosyllable words) or too hard (complex sentences with many unfamiliar words)
- as picture books are often written for non-readers, they must read well aloud
- he best picture books challenge childrenıs thinking without overwhelming it
- Social concerns and the picture storybook
- need to be aware how picture books portray and interpret society (e.g. stereotyping)
- need to be aware of the underlying message but this does not mean we must censor or forbid certain books
- childrenıs reading should include a diverse selection of social attitudes.
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