The current paper constitutes a summary of the chapter titled “Picturebooks” Charlotte Huck’s Children’s Literature: A Brief Guide. The book was written by Barbara Kiefer and Cynthia Tyson in collaboration with Bettie Parsons Barger, Denise Davila, Lisa Patrick, and Erin Reilly-Sanders. The third edition of the book was published in 2019.
A book can be considered a picturebook when it features images which convey its core ideas. Picturebooks can both contain words and be wordless, yet images should always be their priority. When creating a picturebook, artists often utilize certain conventional ways of depicting themes and scenes. Usually, the art pertaining to some cultural periods, such as the Renaissance, is used as a reference by artists. Such a technique can enhance the authenticity of a story “that originated in a particular society” (Kiefer et al. 78). For instance, when artists create a picturebook containing tales of a certain culture, they often make use of the traditional art of this nation or society.
When making picturebooks for children, artists may use their own style, which, nevertheless, can vary depending on different factors. Similarly, the book format also can change, for instance, in size, causing the illustrations to adjust to it. The dust jacket and the cover are the two most important elements every artist should try to highlight in a book. The endpapers and even the copyright page also can be adorned by the artist to attract the attention of the reader. The endpapers should be in harmony with the cover in terms of their color. For example, the endpapers by Jerry Pinkney in The Ugly Duckling provide a setting for the book showing ducks in a stream. The design of a book should reinforce the story’s message, including through the composition of pictures which may have different visual patterns. The typeface is another essential element, and it also must complement the overall book design.
Graphica is a subset of picturebooks which includes manga, graphic novels, comics, graphic nonfiction, and other similar genres. Panels are a common element of graphica, and they are often get divided into several frames which contain text. All words used in graphica are usually placed into speech balloons containing “a character’s dialog or thoughts” (Kiefer et al. 83). Graphica artists make use of symbols such as motion lines to demonstrate certain emotions or activities of the characters. The production of graphica is a team effort and is broken into several steps, such as coloring and putting captions. Modern graphica usually contains humor and stories about superheroes.
At the same time, there are graphica books with serious stories such as Na Liu’s Little White Duck about life in communist China which delivers an insight into a foreign culture. The nonfiction graphica segment is also quite common and features various topics, including World War II and other major events. There are even graphic memoir picturebooks such as Joe Lambert’s Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller. Manga is another popular graphica genre which usually focuses on the depiction of action heroes and stories.
Picturebooks are vital for the development of children at an early age. Such books can enhance the “sensitivity to the imaginative use of language” by children (Kiefer et al. 85). When reading picturebooks, children can improve their vocabulary even without knowing certain words by being given additional context in the form of images. The content of picturebooks should depend on the age group of children they are given to. Aspects such as gender and race stereotyping also should be carefully assessed when choosing a picturebook for children.
Work Cited
Kiefer, Barbara et al. Charlotte Huck’s Children’s Literature: A Brief Guide. 3rd ed., McGraw-Hill, 2019.