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— by Radhika Menon, Managing Editor, Tulika Publishers
Points discussed at an
illustrator's workshop organised by Bala Sahitya Institute, Trivandrum, 2000
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Reading of illustrations is
as important as the reading of words, sometimes even more so.
Fluent readers are using the very techniques and approaches to reading which
picture books can so readily teach. The skills
acquired while reading picture books contribute to the long-term growth of a
reader in a significant manner. In this context, therefore, it is
important to introduce picture books in early literacy programmes.
Holding
and reading wordless picture books can be the first positive step towards
learning reading skills. Readers are not intimidated by words and
they gain confidence by the knowledge that they are able to comprehend the
contents of a book on their own. The more they
‘read’ picture books, the more familiar they become with the basic
skills of reading. From there to reading books with words becomes
a smooth transition.
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Picture books often require young readers
to ask the basic question: What will happen
next? But it doesn’t stop
there. The books also invite readers to look backwards. This
ability to travel back and forth in a book facilitates the development
of reading skills.
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Picture books are full of details.
Absorbing these details while looking at the pictures helps children
enjoy the nuances of language as they become more fluent
readers.
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Thinking by means of metaphor is often
necessary in reading picture books; clearly, it is also
necessary in the pleasurable reading of many novels and poems.
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Picture books leave spaces for the reader
to fill in. Reading between the lines or even beyond the
lines is an all-important and intensely pleasurable aspect of the art of
reading.
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Well thought out and sensitively done
picture books can extend experience beyond the image in the books,
present positive images of both sexes and all races, and
evoke emotional and aesthetic responses in children.
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Often the books are highly topical and
therefore an effective starting point of discussions on
issues as diverse as concern for the environment, violence, disability,
alienation and so on.
The Place of Illustrations
With proper guidance and research, apart from an open-minded
approach to the subject, illustrations for wordless
picture books offer immense possibilities for original, creative work.
There is a misconception that illustrations for children must always be
realistic. While this may be the style certain illustrators prefer, there
is tremendous scope for stylization, innovative techniques and original
approach. It depends upon how well the illustrator is able to communicate,
simply and clearly. There is a challenge
in this, both for illustrator and reader and, certainly, the guide.
How Picture Books Work
In the context of literacy programmes at the
elementary level, picture books work at several levels.
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They familiarise very young children with
books and the physical process of reading such as turning
pages, looking at each page, focusing attention on a page or a detail in
the picture, etc.
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Children automatically look at books
together and this sharing becomes an important
socialising exercise
in the classroom.
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By spontaneously talking about the pictures, children
acquire confidence to verbalise their thoughts and opinions.
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The processes involved in reading picture
books facilitate those reading skills which are often disregarded in the
conventional ‘teaching reading’ methods.
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There is a universality
about picture
books that crosses all linguistic and cultural barriers unlike
written texts, especially at the early learning stages.
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These books are for all ages.
Take, for instance, Raymond Briggs ‘The Snowman. Such tremendous ideas,
both simple and complex, are conveyed by appealing directly to the heart with
wonderful illustrations telling a simple, feeling story.
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