mra 2015 - illustration/text relationships
TRANSCRIPT
Examining Illustration/Text Relationships in Picturebooks for Classroom Selection & Discussion Kristin McIlhagga
@TeachChildLit
“Don’t think of books for young people as tools; try instead to treat them as invitations into the reading life.” - Roger Sutton: Family of Readers
Format not genre
Storybooks
Wordless Books
Picturebooks
Each of these also has a genre Fiction, nonfiction
Subgenres focus on content
Picturebooks
“the pictures focus our attention on specific aspects of the words and cause us to interpret them in specific ways. As a result, a picture book contains at least three stories:
The one told by the words
The one implied by the pictures
The one that results from the combination of the words and pictures” (Nodelman & Reimer, 2003, p. 153)
Sipe (1998) refers to the synergy between words and pictures
Efferent & Aesthetic Reading
Often incorrectly referred to as a dichotomy
“… the terms efferent and aesthetic refer to a continuum of “mixes” of different proportions…. these aspects may fluctuate during the reading but both are always present .” (Rosenblatt 1995)
Donalyn – when I read more selectively, I can feel the work move to the front of my brain
Ways of Reading
Personal (as a reader)“This book made me cry”
Pedagogical (as a teacher)“I could use this book to teach _____”
Efferent and Aesthetic stance (Rosenblatt)
Assumptions about picture books
Simplistic
Only for elementary readers
Entertaining OR didactic
Narrative only
Readers “age-out”
What picture books can offer
Engagement for readers of all levels
Visual Literacy
A way into complex story
Scaffolding critical reading
Aesthetics
Close reading –reread multiple times!!!
Relationships between words & illustrations
Symmetrical* Text & images reflect each other. It is possible to read one or the other and still understand the story.
Also referred to as twice-told tales (Vandergrift) or parallel storytelling (Agosto).
Complimentary*The text and images compliment and extend each other. There is additional information to be gained from the relationship
Also referred to as interdependent storytelling (Agosto)
Contradictory*The text and images tell two different stories. What is happening in one is not necessarily happening in the other.
*Hintz & Tribunella
Leveling Books
Importance of knowing how book levels are determined.
For example: Lexile text numbers are determined using:
Length of word & number of syllables
Length of sentence & punctuation
Length of paragraphs
What is missing?
Literary elements
Plot
Character
Setting
Theme
Style
In picturebooks, these may be represented only in visual elements.
Some Illustrative ElementsTerm Definition
Hue Gradation between segments of the visible light spectrum. Provides the stimuli that allows us to distinguish color – e.g. blue, turquoise and green. Also known as color.
Saturation
Dominance, intensity or purity of the color. In printing, it refers to the amount of pigment used in creating the ink.
Line A basic building block of illustrations. Lines can be used to express mood and evoke senses, including the sense of motion. Lines have style and expressivity from feathery and light to angular and heavy.
Design Elements
Double-page, single page spread
Page turns
Gutter
Frame / full bleed
Panels
Visual Literacy Elements
Illustration sequence
Medium/style
Peri text (Sipe)
Glossy/matte paper
Fonts
Your Turn!!!
Work with a partner or group of three…
Read through the book looking for different elements
Think & Talk about how those elements affect you as a reader on the efferent/aesthetic continuum
How about on the reader/teacher continuum?
Book Selection
Books we like as individual readers
Books selected for classesPurpose
Curriculum, topic, theme
Not all texts work for every purpose
Ultimately – needs to be thoughtful
