Picturebooks!
A picturebook is many things but most importantly it should be a source of pleasure, or enjoyment. This is key in developing young readers. Ever read a novel you didn’t like? Chances are, yes. Read it twice? Probably not. Providing high quality picturebooks, books children enjoy, and allowing children to choose, is part of developing, fostering a love of reading.
What is a Picturebook?
A picturebook is a multimodal text that incorporates a variety of modes such as text, image, and design to communicate with the reader; the different modes work together to express or convey meaning in different ways. When we think of literature, we think of written text and the artistic elements as secondary. The unique qualities of the picturebook require all modes to be read; one mode does not have more weight or importance than another; it is an ensemble that works as a cohesive unit.
This is not a traditional definition. However, picturebooks have become increasingly more sophisticated and complex. Using the more general term mode in place of language specific terms such as sentences and paragraphs provides a way to include different kinds of texts such as the picturebook or digital texts.
A mode can be all of the different elements in an ensemble that work together to communicate meaning to the reader. Gunther Kress has explained it very well by using rain as an example across modes. To summarise, he gives three examples
- Text only – It is raining.
- An image of rain without text
- A sound recording of rain
Text only 
Image without text
Each one of these modes is conveying the same idea in a different way. Together, they provide a richer experience for the reader that a single mode on its own may not provide. Picturebooks require the reader to attend to all of the modes in order to fully understand and experience the text.
Modes and Picturebooks
Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins is an excellent example of how text, image, and design work together to tell a richer and more interesting story. One mode on its own could not tell the story completely without the others. The story consists of one sentence of 32 words told across 27 pages: Rosie the hen went for a walk across the yard around the pond over the haystack past the mill through the fence under the beehives and got back in time for dinner.
There is no mention of the fox in the text. Nevertheless, children ‘read’ the images and understand the fox’s intention for Rosie. The images also create a place for the reader to speculate; does Rosie know the fox is stalking her, does she purposely lead the fox around the yard, or is the reader let in on a secret – that Rosie is not aware of her stalker? The picturebook is so wonderfully crafted that children delightfully read this story over and over.
Hana Hladikova (2014) explains how picturebooks have much to offer by introducing and explaining the world to children through its images well before they are able to read; it supports and builds vocabulary by exposing them to new words as well as through verbal and visual references. Being visually literate is considered an important twenty-first century skill. Visual literacy is a form of explicit literacy instruction providing important skills and vocabulary for children of all ages.
Types of Picturebooks
Pop-ups & Foldouts 
Complex Text 
Wordless Picturebook
If you have ever been to the children’s section in a bookstore you were probably immediately overwhelmed and delighted at the same time. Books for babies, toddlers, early readers, first readers, young adults. There are board books, concept books, pop-ups and foldouts, simple, non-fiction, reference, easy readers, complex, chapter or transition books, and… wordless picturebooks.
Yes, wordless or nearly wordless picturebooks. One of my favourite varieties. Why? Everyone can read a wordless picturebook. The book is read visually therefore eliminating the frustration of reading text for emerging readers, or readers of any age learning to read. It bridges cultures, encourages dialogue, and can have many interpretations. What a great way to encourage dialogue by sharing different ways into the book.
“From the educational perspective, the lack of words presents opportunities for supporting the development of pupils who struggle with reading text.”
Arizpe, 2014: 97
Settling on a universal typology among scholars is an ongoing endeavour and further complicating the matter, the picturebook continues to evolve and change. If you are interested in learning more about the sophisticated nature of the picturebook, then I suggest reading Maria Nikolajeva and Carole Scott’s How Picturebooks Work. They provide a comprehensive look at all aspects of the picturebook, including typology.
On a continuum of extremes, there is text without illustrations or images such as a novel and illustrations without text, the wordless or nearly wordless picturebook. The importance of the images is central to determining what type of book it is; do images support the text, or are images the principal form of meaning-making? It can be broken down further, is it narrative or non-narrative?
A Literacy Resource
There is no question as to the importance of children’s literature in relation to language development or learning to read. The picturebook is the most important literacy resource for teaching language and reading in the early primary classroom. Margaret Meek expands to include that the text itself teaches reading as well as the process of discovery. Children learn from reading picturebooks; they attend to the visuals, make predictions, and make connections to text, the world and themselves.
Providing real picturebooks that are rich in text and illustration are important for readers of any level. We should allow children to choose books they enjoy rather than limiting choice to a colour band or reading level. There is a specific time and purpose for leveled reading.
Hearing an adult or expert reader, exposes children to concepts of pacing, rhythm, expression, tone and fluency. Children remember words or phrases, mimic the expert reader, engage in retelling and sharing, and ask questions. When they choose that book from the library or bookstore, they will read it for themselves and others with confidence and delight. Reading enjoyment equals reading engagement.
Critical Literacy
Critical literacy is asking questions – what is the message, who is the author, what forms of biases are present, what does it not say? Instead of reaching for any picturebook off the shelf, examine it as a form of communication and ask, “what message does this send to children?” Teachers have access to many books through their school and classroom libraries. It is important to ensure we check our own biases when selecting texts for use with children.
Collaborating with colleagues as to what message a selected text conveys will allow multiple lenses and perspectives. Children usually develop favourite books from what they hear and read in the classroom. As educators, it is our responsibility to select picturebooks with care and purpose.
A well-crafted picturebook can hook even the most reluctant reader by drawing them within its pages; creating a space where the reader can connect, interpret, explore and learn about the world.
REFERENCES
Arizpe, E. (2014) ‘Wordless Picturebooks: Critical and Educational Perspectives on Meaning-making.’ In: B. Kümmerling-Meibauer and Taylor & Francis Group (eds) Picturebooks: representation and narration. New York: Routledge. pp. 91-106.
Hladíková, H. (2014). Children’s Book Illustrations: Visual Language of Picture Books. CRIS – Bulletin of the Centre for Research and Interdisciplinary Study. 2014. 10.2478/cris-2014-0002.
Kress, G.R. and Henrisken, B. (2012) Multimodality: Key Concepts. Institute of Education, University of London. Accessed through https://youtu.be/kJ2gz_OQHhI
Meek, M. (1988) How Texts Teach what Readers Learn, Stroud: Thimble Press.
Nikolajeva, M. and Scott, C. (2006) How Picturebooks Work. Abingdon: Routledge.
