Merry Christmas! (illustration)

Happy Christmas everyone! From Gingerbread Cottage.

Acrylic painting on illustration board

Picturebooks and wordless picturebooks: a brief history and background

Foundations were being laid for modern picturebooks many years ago: among the tombs of ancient Egypt and structures in Pompeii, stories were told using pictures in particular order.  One of the oldest examples, Trajan’s Column in Rome (fig.1) tells of Trajan’s successful battles during the second century AD (Salisbury & Styles, 2012: 10); and The Bayeux Tapestry (fig. 2) illustrates the Norman conquest; importantly reading in chronological order; left to right (McCloud, 1993: 12).   The modern printing press invented in the fifteenth century by Johannes Gutenberg, saw the rise of book printing (Palermo, 2014).  From the fifteenth century onwards, picturebooks began to appear, as ‘chapbooks’ (roughly assembled pages of text and randomly selected images) were sold by pedlars in the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries (Salisbury and Styles, 2012: 12-13).  Commonly accepted as being the first children’s picturebook, Orbis Pictus (Comenius, circa 1657) illustrated words with pictures (Nodelman, 1988: 2).  In the late eighteenth century William Blake created children’s books combining text and image: Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience (Salisbury, 2005: 9), when lithography was introduced, meaning colour no longer had to be added by hand.  But the nineteenth century saw beginnings of a golden age for colour printing; when children’s books began to flourish and book illustration became a recognised, valued art form (Salisbury, 2005: 10).  Funny Stories and Droll Pictures (Hoffmann, 1844) directly influenced modern picturebooks, with its somewhat violent themes depicting consequences of bad behaviour (Salisbury & Styles, 2012: 14); setting the tone for cross-over picturebooks to be discussed later.  Less fear arousing than moral focussed publications for children in the sixteenth century, nineteenth century children’s books took a more light hearted approach, as seen in Under the Window (Kate Greenaway, 1878) and Randolph Caldecott’s Picture books (1878-1884, British Library: n.d.).

Caldecott pioneered the interplay between pictures and words, which no longer duplicated but complimented each other (Salisbury & Styles, 2012: 16).  Unpatronising in approach by not focussing on moral lessons he consciously created them with adult and child appeal (Desmarais, 2006: xv); commonly becoming accepted as the founding father of picturebooks (Salisbury & Styles, 2012: 16).

The picturebook can be defined as being where words and pictures are of equal importance, but this can be expanded to include books with pictures not necessarily aimed at children and not conforming to modern conventions (Salisbury, 2015: 9).  

Figure 1 (top): Trajan's Column, detail, AD 113 (Source: crystalinks.com., n.d.)

Figure 2 (above): Bayeux Tapestry, 1080, fragment (Source: Kren, E., Marx, D., n.d., Web Gallery of Art, n.d.)

References:

British Library (n.d.) Help for Researchers: Historical Survey of Children’s Literature in the British Library [online] Available at: http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/findhelpsubject/literature/chillit/childhist/childhistorical.html [Accessed: 27 July, 2016]

Desmarais, R. (2006) Introduction.  Randolph Caldecott: His Books and illustrations for Young Readers.  Edmonton: University of Alberta Libraries.

McCloud, S. (1993) Understanding Comics: the invisible art.  New York: Harper Collins Publishers Inc.

Nodelman, P. (1988) Words About Pictures: The Narrative Art of Children’s Picture Books [online]. Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Press.  Available at: https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=YHPmmt9VvF8C&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false [Accessed: 3 August, 2016]

Palermo, E. (2014) Reference: Who Invented the Printing Press? [online].  In livescience.com.  Available at: http://www.livescience.com/43639-who-invented-the-printing-press.html [Accessed: 27 July, 2016]

Salisbury, M. (2005) Illustrating Children’s Books: Creating Pictures for Publication. London: Quarto Publishing Plc.

Salisbury, M. (2015) 100 Great Children’s Picturebooks.  London: Lawrence King Publishing Ltd.

Salisbury, M., & Styles, M. (2012) Children’s Picturebooks: The Visual Art of Storytelling. London: Lawrence King Publishing Ltd.

Images:

Crystalinks.com (n.d.) Trajan’s Column, fragment [image online]. Available at: http://www.crystalinks.com/trajanscolumn.html  [Accessed: 26 July, 2016]

Kren, E., Marx, D. (n.d.) The Bayeux Tapestry (c. 1080) Bayeux Tapestry fragment [image online].  In Wall Gallery of Art.  Available at: http://www.wga.hu/html_m/zzdeco/2tapestr/2bayeux/index.html  [Accessed: 26 July, 2016]

Essay submission

Well l have finally submitted my final degree essay and very pleased with the Turnitin report which came back at only 1% similarity, so l feel confident about that.  I am so relieved to complete this module but l have really enjoyed it and everything l have learned about a genre: wordless picturebooks, which l hope to become more immersed in after graduation.  I am currently working on my own wordless cross-over book on my Final Major Project module so the information l have learned from this theoretical module has certainly been, and will continue to be extremely useful; affecting positively the outcomes l produce.

The aspects of this module l enjoyed most were discovering, on an academic level, more about a subject which really interests me.  I enjoy the challenge of academic writing and the research which goes into it to form strong arguments.  I was surprised to find so much material on the study of images; and wordless picturebooks in particular on educational and emotional development.  It was interesting to learn just how wordless picturebooks can be used in the classroom environment and benefit those with special needs as well as those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.  Cross-over books interests me greatly and, as l intend to create my own work within this genre, this study has been a great benefit to me and the outcomes l will produce.

The easiest part of the module was setting up the blog, as l have created one before, but l also found it interesting to use this as a means of recording information and clarifying ideas, which l hadn’t done previously.  I feel this approach as well as adding posts telling the viewer something about me personally, has a wider appeal than just posting pictures of my latest work, which l have done before.  l will continue with this and share my posts on Google + and link the blog to my website.  Although this aspect of the module was insightful and useful l found the academic research:  the most difficult and time consuming aspect, the most interesting and enjoyable.  Although it could be frustrating and complex, l enjoyed learning about my area of main interest which will help me in the future.  I also found it challenging not to write too much: l had to reduce my essay down quite substantially from the initial draft, as l had included too much information.  I suppose this is just because l am very interested in the theme and didn’t want to miss anything out; though the word count limitation did help me to hone in my writing and critical skills; l had to be ruthless and identify areas where l could link up sentences or paragraphs to reduce the number of words, make statements in shorter sentences or remove parts which may have been saying the same thing l have said elsewhere but in a slightly different way.  I printed off my essay a couple of times as l found l was able to identify these issues more easily than just looking at my computer screen.  I also find it more productive and easier to navigate when using books as opposed to online material; maybe this is a result of being in Generation X.

l feel one of my strengths is being able to identify relevant information quite quickly by scanning, which saves time, but my weakness is arguably writing too much which l always manage to do.  Reducing, of course then takes time but l feel it is also important to include all the information l need so that, when l do reduce it there is a higher level of relevant and highly referenced material.  Previously l have made the mistake of including assumptions and opinion and l now realise that this is not acceptable without being backed up by evidence so l keep this in mind throughout the writing process. 

I feel l used my time well and sourced all the information needed for the essay, which is something l could expand upon at a later date should l wish to do so.  For example l would be interested in finding more out about cross-over books and the contexts they can be used in; seeing them being used in educational or clinical settings.  I feel there is a lot of potential for this genre of books to be used productively for adults with issues such as abuse, childhood neglect and depression for example.  The images can be interpreted by each individual in different ways depending upon their experiences and each person can take something different from it.  This is an area l would really like to be involved in, as l am working on my own wordless picturebook based on one of these themes at the moment.  I am interested in pursuing the area of emotional problems in adults as a result of childhood experience as this is something which personally resonates with me so feel l would be able to reach out to those who have suffered similarly.

My plan now is to continue exploring my own visual language and developing my skills in storytelling using emotional elements to reach out to audiences while continuing to research the genres of interest.  The wordless picturebook offers many opportunities for illustrators; even benefiting publishers who don’t need to get them translated into different languages.  Looking at historic examples of visual storytelling which go back thousands of years as well as the more contemporary examples of wordless pciturebooks such as The Snowman has been very helpful.  Lacking written explanation, it is even more important for images to speak to the reader; they also give readers a voice as the voice of the author is lacking (ideal for abuse sufferers).  My current work on FMP has been inspired greatly by the examples l have studied and in particular the emotion conveyed in the wordless book The Arrival, the tackling of difficult issues in Why?; the success of subtlety in image as seen in Rainstorm, the insight and humanity of the child in Footpath Flowers; and the information about sequential narratives in Mac Cloud’s Understanding Comics.  They have been extremely useful in affecting how l produce my own visual sequences and recognising the importance of each element; something l knew very little about a few months ago.  With all l have learned l feel equipped in tackling sensitive subjects and confident that l can achieve this.  As well as producing my own work which is what l am passionate about l am also working on commissions and will seek illustration work upon graduation as well as apply to agencies once l have tailored my portfolio.  This is an area l need to build on after completing this course, as much of the work l produced in previous years is not at the standard l am happy with.  However l feel l am now moving in the right direction and am confident about my ability to produce high standard professional outcomes based on all l have learned on this course.

Bibliography

Briggs, R., 2013, The Snowman. London: Puffin Books.

Lawson, J, Smith, S., 2016, Footpath Flowers, London:  Walker Books.

Lehman, B., 2007, Rainstorm, New York:  Houghton Mifflin Company Boston.

McCloud, S., 1993, Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art.  New York: Harper Collins Publishers Inc.

Popov, N., 1996.  Why?  New York:  North South Books Inc.

Tan, S., 2014, The Arrival, Sydney:  Lothian Books.

Wordless picturebooks

Who benefits from wordless picturebooks? (crossing boundaries)

Being wordless in nature and thus less restrictive in crossing linguistic boundaries, picturebooks have wide appeal and can be used in a variety of educational and clinical settings.

According to Pope Gregory the Great (circa 600) even the uneducated can understand messages conveyed by pictures (in Brown, 2011, p. 37).  Images cross cultural, social , national and economic boundaries admits Protheroe (1992, p.7) states they also compromise development of mathematical and reading skills, scientific imagination and overall cognitive capabilities.  Many scholars argue for the benefits of the picturebook to educational and social learning, and we have seen that images have always played an important role in storytelling.

Werner (1984, in Graham, 1990) explains it is possible for even a blind child to experience picturebooks; though their minds must work harder to formulate images through utilising other senses.  Comprehension can be achieved not only through Braille, but by deployment of interactive features (flips, wheels, pop-ups); accompanying audio; 3D printing and textured pages in wordless picturebooks.  Tom Yeh, creator of the Tactile Picture Books Project is developing software allowing users to create 3D versions of any picturebook, and has already produced famous titles such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Carle, E., 1969, in Goodreads.com, 2008) and Noah’s Ark (fig. 1);showing raised image as well as Braille.  

Fig. 1: Yeh, T., et al, Noah’s Ark image reproduced in 3D, n.d. (Source: Dezeen.com, 2016)

Some images to use in my essay

My essay is a study of how wordless picturebooks assist emotional and educational development.  I have found a number of examples which help to illustrate the points l want to make:

Fig 1-2:  Popov (1996) takes a similar approach though uses anthropomorphism (presenting animals to convey human emotions, thoughts and actions) to explain the devastating consequences and futility of war.  Fig. shows the two animals in a green, pleasant setting with no worries in the world; until they begin to wage war against each other which quickly escalates out of control.  At the end of the story fig.  shows a bleak contrast, where war has destroyed the earth and all living things.  Each animal has something which belonged to the other (flower and umbrella have changed ownership) but both are destroyed.  It is perhaps unlikely that a child would pick up on such details on the first viewing; however the wordless narrative can be revisited many times and new details uncovered each time.  These multiple layers add narrative and visual interest not only for the child but the adult inclusively.  Colour also plays an important part in the communication of the devastation (bright sunny colours connote happiness and harmony, whereas dull muted tones represent the aftermath).  These two spreads alone convey a poignant message and the author’s personal experience of war undoubtedly contributes to the success of this emotionally charged narrative.

Figure 1: Double page spread [ 8-9] (Source: Popov, N., 1996. Why? New York: North South Books Inc.)

Figure 2: Double page spread [ 38-39] (Source: Popov, N., 1996. Why? New York: North South Books Inc.)

Essay draft

I am currently working on my draft essay and the following are a few paragraphs taken from this. While completing this task l found a few errors so it was useful to undergo this review process in order to make corrections.Essay draft fragments upload: A few paragraphs from my essay: not in order)Evans (1998, p.81) acknowledges the value of wordless picturebooks as a solid basis upon which to learn English as they can be interpreted on a personal level by readers. Louie and Sierschynski (2015) suggest that being wordless, picturebooks don’t confuse English language learners thought they still provide as much as books with words because must tell a story; they also state that oral discussion forms the basis of literacy development, so literacy practices should make use of wordless picturebooks which aid discussion (p. 104). Looking specifically at learners of English as a second language, Louie and Sierschynski explore ways in which the classroom setting encourages language development by using wordless narratives. When broken down into small groups or pairs of learners, children are given opportunities to vocalise individual perceptions of images, given time to stop, think, self-correct and construct descriptive sentences. Citing others they argue: self- correction as opposed to teacher correction should be pursued to offer learners opportunities to creatively explore language which aids constructive discussion and learning (Beck & McKeown, 2001, p.104); it is essential that learners of English spend time engaged in meaningful conversation rather than just answering teacher’s questions, in order to achieve academic literacy (Fisher, Frey, & Rothenberg, 2008, p.104); and revisiting images assists in learning basic image sequencing and literacy conventions before progressing onto more sophisticated meaning construction (Cohn,2014, p.107) . Louie and Sierschynski suggest that new learners begin to label objects or actions of characters in the book, and then learn to tell the story in sentences using more complex language structure (p.107). Coultard (2003, in Arizpe & Styles, pp. 164-189) also stresses that culture, personal experiences and ways in which images [and text] have been approached previously, all influence how immigrant children interpret wordless narratives. Images are a vital source of cultural learning for those arriving in a new country with no knowledge about its language and customs (Arizpe, 2009, p. 134).

Often themes covered by this genre of books can be described as challenging or controversial, and Evans (2015, p.11) points out themes such as depression [The Red Tree, Tan, S., 2015, fig. 16, 17, 18], death [Granpa, Burningham, J., 1984], violence, drugs [Bird, Elliot, Z., & Strickland, S., 2008], war [Why? Popov, N.,1996, fig. 12 &13], and bullying, although often considered unsuitable for children, are nothing new. She goes on to explain the Grimm brothers and Hans Christian Anderson stories were full of disturbing subject matter such as incest, child cruelty and murder. Traditional fairy tales such as Cinderella and Hansel and Gretel based on such subjects have been heavily diluted for modern audiences, possibly affected by growing political correctness: the sanitisation of fairy tales began in the nineteenth century due to regulation seeking to protect children from having ‘improper thoughts and ideas’ (Zipes, 2013, p.16). Zipes claims that folk tales have a solid foundation in culture and values while representing certain points in history (in Merriam, 2015). For this reason they change so much over the centuries and, cross culturally, around the world. They must be relevant and provide recipients with material they can identify with. 

According to Doonan (1993, p.11) the act of searching for meaning in imagery engages us emotionally as well as cognitively; and provokes emotional responses (p.51); thus providing potential for emotional growth. Although picturebooks are gradually being recognised for their contribution to visual literacy and learning, they are largely ignored when it comes to promoting emotional development (Nicolajeva, 2013, p.249). However, the ability for children to feel and perceive thoughts, feelings and intentions of others is becoming more important in schools as social awareness about issues such as bullying (Slee & Mohya, 2007, in Lysaker, 2011, p.521) and multi-culturalism increase in importance. In reading development, the ability to construct inferences, and imagining more than what is literally on the page, vital in learning to read and becoming fully engaged with the text (Duke, Presley & Hilden, 2004; Sweet & Snow, 2002, in Lysaker, 2011, pp. 520-521). Empathy is one of the most important social skills to learn, and due to limited emotional experiences, picturebooks play a key role in aiding the development of this emotion (Nikolajeva, 2013, p.249-50).

Lewis Carroll, Ruy Vidal and Maurice Sendak didn’t produce books only for children (Beckett, 2012, p.3-5) and they cross generational boundaries while also standing the test of time. Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are (first published 1964) is one of the best selling picturebooks ever. Clearly his approach in refusing to lie to children (in Brockes, 2011) and not being scared to tackle difficult subjects paid off. 

 References:

Arizpe, E., 2009, Sharing visual experiences of a new culture: Immigrant children in Scotland respond to picturebooks and other visual texts. In J. Evans (Ed.), Talking beyond the page: Reading and responding to picture books. Oxon, UK : Routledge (pp. 134-151). Beck, I.L., & McKeown, M.G., 2001, Text talk: Capturing the benefits of read aloud experiences for young children, The Reading Teacher, Vol: 55, Issue: 1, pp. 10-20. In Louie, B., & Sierschynski, J., 2015, Enhancing English Learners' language development using wordless picture books [online]. The Reading Teacher, Vol: 69, issue 1, July / August 2015, p 104. Available at: http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.herts.ac.uk/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=103383521&site=ehost-live [Accessed 1 August 2016]Beckett, S.L., 2012, Crossover Picturebooks: A Genre for all Ages [online] Available at: http://www.earlyliteracyinfo.org/documents/pdf/doc_89.pdf [Accessed 3 August 2016]Burningham, J., 2003, Granpa. London: Red Fox Books.
Cohn, N., 2014, The architecture of visual narrative comprehension: The interaction of narrative structure and page layout in understanding comics . Frontiers in Psychology , Vol: 5 Issue: 1, pp 1-9. In Louie, B., & Sierschynski, J., 2015, Enhancing English Learners' Language Development Using Wordless Picture Books [online]. The Reading Teacher, Vol: 69, issue 1, July / August 2015, p 107. Available at: http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.herts.ac.uk/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=103383521&site=ehost-live [Accessed 1 August 2016] Coultard, 2003, K., 2003, Chapter 8: “The words to say it”: Young bilingual learners responding to visual texts. In E. Arizpe & M. Styles (Eds.), Children reading pictures: Interpreting Visual Texts. New York, NY : RoutledgeFalmer, pp. 196-189. Doonan, J., 1993, Looking at Pictures in Picture Books. Exeter, UK: The Thimble Press.
Duke, N., Presley, M., & Hilden, K., 2004, Difficulties with reading comprehension. In C.A. Stone, E.R. Silliman, & K. Apel (Eds), Handbook of Language and Literacy: Development and disorders. New York: Guilford Press. In Lysaker, J., 2011, Reading and Social imagination: What Relationally oriented Reading Instruction can do for Children [online]. Reading Psychology, Vol: 32, Issue 6, November 2011, pp. 520-521. Available at: http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.herts.ac.uk/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=67458508&site=ehost-live [Accessed 1 August 2016]
Elliot, Z., & Strickland, S., 2008, Bird. New York: Lee & Low Books Inc.
Evans, J., 1998, What’s in the Picture? Responding to Illustrations in Picturebooks. London: SAGE.
Evans, J., 2015, Challenging and Controversial Picturebooks: Creative and Critical Responses to Visual Texts. Oxon, UK: Routledge / Taylor and Francis Group.
Fisher, D., Frey, N., & Rothenberg, C., 2008, Content-area conversations: How to plan discussion-based lessons for diverse language learners . Alexandria, VA : Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. In Louie, B., & Sierschynski, J., 2015, Enhancing English Learners' Language Development Using Wordless Picture Books [online]. The Reading Teacher, Vol: 69, issue 1, July / August 2015, pp 103-111. Available at: http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.herts.ac.uk/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=103383521&site=ehost-live [Accessed 1 August 2016]
Louie, B., & Sierschynski, J., 2015, Enhancing English Learners' Language Development Using Wordless Picture Books [online]. The Reading Teacher, Vol: 69, issue 1, July / August 2015, p. 110. Available at: http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.herts.ac.uk/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=103383521&site=ehost-live [Accessed 1 August 2016]Nikolajeva, M., 2013, Picturebooks and Emotional Literacy [online]. The Reading Teacher, Vol: 67, Issue 4, December 2013 / January 2014, pp. 249-254. Available at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezproxy.herts.ac.uk/doi/10.1002/trtr.1229/epdf [Accessed 8 August 2016]Sendak, M., 2011, Maurice Sendak: I refuse to lie to children [interview online]. In Brockes, E., 2011, in theguardian.com. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/oct/02/maurice-sendak-interview [Accessed 4 August 2016]Sendak, M., 1964, Where the Wild Things Are. London: Red Fox (2000).Slee, P., & Mohya, J., 2007, The Peace Pact: An evaluation of interventions to reduce bullying in four Australian primary schools. Educational Research, Vol: 49, pp. 103-114. In Lysaker, J., 2011, Reading and Social imagination: What Relationally oriented Reading Instruction can do for Children [online]. Reading Psychology, Vol: 32, Issue 6, November 2011, p. 520-66. Available at: http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.herts.ac.uk/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=67458508&site=ehost-live [Accessed 1 August 2016]
Sweet, P., & Snow, C., 2002, Reconceptualising reading comprehension. In C. Block, L. Gambrell, & M. Pressley (Eds), Improving comprehension Instruction: Rethinking research, theory and classroom practice (pp. 17-53). New York: Jossey Press. In Lysaker, J., 2011, Reading and Social imagination: What Relationally oriented Reading Instruction can do for Children [online]. Reading Psychology, Vol: 32, Issue 6, November 2011, p. 520-521. Available at: http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.herts.ac.uk/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=67458508&site=ehost-live [Accessed 1 August 2016]
Popov, N., 1996. Why? New York: North South Books Inc.
Tan, S., 2015, The Red Tree. Sydney, Australia: Lothian Children’s Books.
Zipes, J., 2013, Fairy Tale as Myth/ Myth as Fairy Tale. Kentucky, USA: The University Press of Kentucky.

Notes for my reference

NOTES (for my own reference):

My essay will address the following main points:

·         Background:  (Concepts:  Social change, Audience, History).  Brief background and history of the picturebook and wordless picturebook.

·         Pictures / Purpose of Illustration:  (Concepts:  Theories and Ideas, The Mind).  How do they work? (line, colour, symbolism, tone, facial expressions, body language)  How do they aid emotional understanding and responses of empathy to develop emotional literacy?  (Theories:  Redundancy and Entropy, Semiotics, Stereotypes, Binary Opposites, Denotation and Connotation)

·         Picturebooks, Early Years and Learning to Read: (Concepts: Education, The Mind) How do children learn to read images? Why are they so important in developing visual literacy and emergent reading strategies?  Do they form a foundation for educational and emotional learning that continues throughout life?  Do they aid development of social imagination and creativity by encouraging sequential thinking, keen observation, discussion and decoding?  (Theories:  Berger’s ‘Ways of Seeing’, Interpellation, Iconography and Iconology, Psychological / Psycho-Analytical)

·         Culture / Background:  (Concepts:  Language, Gender, Religion, Culture, Class, Generational)  How these concepts play a part in aiding understanding of pictures and how does this affect educational and emotional development?  (Theories:  Sociological, Multi-Cultural, Marxism)

·         Uses:  (Concepts: Cultural / Social Change, Family).  How do pictures in picturebooks (particularly wordless ones) successfully deal with emotional challenges?  (e.g. newly settling immigrants, family issues, and society issues).  (Theories: Psychological / Psycho-Analytical, Sociological)

·         Wordless picturebooks:  (Concepts:  Culture, Class, Language, Religion, Generational, and Politics).  Who benefits (adults, children, foreign language speakers, publishers: no need to translate into other languages).  Discuss the universality and how they cross linguistic, cultural, age and gender boundaries.  (Theories: Multicultural, Semiotics, Redundancy and Entropy, Stereotypes)

·         Challenging and controversial picturebooks:  (Concepts: Generational, Culture, Politics).  What makes them controversial or challenging? (Themes such as death, abuse, violence, war, mental health issues for example).  Do these books have a place in aiding emotional and educational development and who benefits from them? (Theories: Ideological Inference, Hegemony)

Essay Plan

Here is my essay plan which outlines all the main avenues of investigation l intend to take.  This will certainly help me to clarify my direction and train of thought once l begin the writing.

ABSTRACT (100 words)

Write a brief overview of the essay theme; including background, [could include here ‘objectives’] methods, results and conclusions [could also include here ‘limitations’]

CONTENTS

A Contents page will be included (Check all page numbers are accurate)

INTRODUCTION (2oo words approx)

The modern picturebook is defined by Salisbury and Styles (2012) “…by its particular use of sequential imagery, usually in tandem with a small number of words, to convey meaning.” However many picturebooks contain no text within the story and so are therefore ‘wordless’.  This essay will examine pictures in picturebooks and investigate their impact upon and relevance to emotional and educational development in readers.  The focus of the essay will be primarily centred around wordless picturebooks with some investigation into examples which tackle themes such as grief, immigration and bullying and are thus defined as being “controversial” or “challenging”.  Thorough analysis will be made of evidence available by looking at numerous reports published by experts in the field, as well as by considering primary source examples of picturebooks as supporting evidence.  A variety of theories will be employed to study the relevant angles of approach, including Semiotics, Redundancy and Entropy and Iconography and Iconology; with concepts such as culture, class, gender and language being important considerations throughout evidence analysis.  These concepts undoubtedly contribute to reader understanding of images, and this essay will consider these carefully and comprehensively before drawing any conclusions as to their value.  The aim is to show that, by studying available research and evidence how [wordless] picturebooks contribute to educational and emotional development before finally conclusively advocating their value as a learning resource tool.

MAIN BODY (Five sections)

The essay will present the argument by dividing the essay into sections (see bullet points above) and give prime importance to critical evaluation and analysis using the theories and concepts identified, while also connecting the findings to my own practice.  Illustrations will be also included to enhance my argument and to provide visual understanding of points made.

·         Picturebooks and wordless picturebooks: A Brief history and background (350 words)

Look at social change, audience, history.  Look at examples of early illustration such as Trajan’s Column and Bayeux Tapestry, then early books such as chap books, invention of printing, Caldecott’s early picturebooks up to the modern day.  Reference examples:

Salisbury, M., Styles, M., 2012, Children’s Picturebooks: The Art of Visual Storytelling.  London: Lawrence King Publishing.

Briggs, R., 2013, The Snowman, London: Puffin Books

·         How do pictures work and how do children learn to ‘read’ them? (1,000 words)

Look at theories such as redundancy and entropy, semiotics, stereotypes, binary opposites, denotation and connotation.  Consider concepts such as theories and ideas and the mind.  Reference examples:

Doonan, J., 1993, Looking at Pictures in Picture Books.  Glos: Thimble Press.

Evans, J., 1998, What’s in the Picture? Responding to Illustrations in Picturebooks.  London: SAGE.

Cole, H., 2012, Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad, NY: Scholastic Press.

Frazee, M., 2014, The farmer and the Clown, NY: Beach Lane Books.

Examine the factors which enable children to understand images, looking at concepts such as education and the mind, as well as theories such as interpellation, iconography and iconology, psychological and psychological.  Reference examples:

Evans, J., 1998, What’s in the Picture? Responding to Illustrations in Picturebooks.  London: SAGE.

Graham, J., 1990, Pictures on the Page.  Sheffield: NATE.

·         Do pictures in picturebooks help to develop emergent reading skills and how do they aid  the development of visual literacy and social imagination? (1350 words)

Looking at the concept of education and using theories of the mind, education and society, Berger’s Ways of Seeing, iconology and iconography, interpellation and psychological and psycho-analytical look at the studies undertaken by experts in the field.  Reference examples:

Arizpe, E., Styles, M., 2005, Children Reading Pictures: Interpreting Visual Texts [e-book].  London:  RoutledgeFalmer

Lysaker, J., Hopper, G., 2015, A Kindergartner's Emergent Strategy Use during Wordless Picture Book Reading [online]. The Reading Teacher, Vol: 68, pages 649–657. 

Explain how they encourage sequential thinking, keen observation, storytelling, discussion and de-coding, looking at theories mentioned in previous section.  Reference examples:

Galda, L., & Short, K., 1993, Visual Literacy: Exploring Art and Illustration in Children’s Books [online]. The Reading Teacher, March 1993, Vol: 46, Issue 6, pp 506-516.

Lysaker, J., Miller, A., 2013, Engaging social imagination: The developmental work of wordless book reading [online]. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, June 2013 vol. 13 no. 2 147-174. 

Salisbury, M., Styles, M., 2012, Children’s Picturebooks: The Art of Visual Storytelling.  London: Lawrence King Publishing.

Serafini, F., 2014, Exploring Wordless Picture Books [online]. The Reading Teacher, Vol: 68, Issue 1, September 2014, pp. 24-26. 

·         Who benefits from wordless picturebooks? (crossing boundaries) (1000 words)

Explain that wordless picturebooks cross cultural, linguistic, generational and gender boundaries.  Look at concepts such as language, gender, religion, culture, class, generational, and theories such as sociological, Marxism and multi-cultural.  How these books can aid such a broad range of people in their educational and emotional development.  Reference examples:

Arizpe, E., 2013, Meaning-making from wordless (or nearly wordless) picturebooks: what educational research expects and what readers have to say [online]. Cambridge Journal of Education, 43 (2).

Colledge, M., 2005, Baby Bear or Mrs Bear? Young English Bengali-speaking children's responses to narrative picture books at school [online].  Literacy, Volume 39, Issue 1, pages 24–30.

Louie, B., & Siershinski, J., 2015, Enhancing English Learners' Language Development Using Wordless Picture Books [online].  The Reading Teacher, Vol: 69, issue 1, July / August 2015, pp 103-111.

·         How do picturebooks deal with emotional issues and challenges? (1,700 words)

Examine examples of pictures in picturebooks which address emotional challenges and how they can aid emotional development in readers.  Explain how do they create empathic responses and develop emotional literacy.

Examples can include: 

Lawson, J, Smith, S., 2016, 'Footpath Flowers', London:  Walker Books

Tan, S., 2014, 'The Arrival', Sydney:  Lothian Books

Villa, A, 2013, 'Flood', London:  Curious Fox

Other reference examples:

Graham, J., 1990, Pictures on the Page.  Sheffield: NATE.

Lysaker, J., Miller, A., 2013, Engaging social imagination: The developmental work of wordless book reading [online]. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, June 2013 vol. 13 no. 2 147-174. 

Nikolajeva, M., 2013, Picturebooks and Emotional Literacy [online].The Reading Teacher, Vol: 67, Issue 4, December 2013 / January 2014, pp. 249-254. 

Salisbury, M., Styles, M., 2012, Children’s Picturebooks: The Art of Visual Storytelling.  London: Lawrence King Publishing.

Consider also what makes a picturebook controversial or challenging and examine their place in educational and emotional development.  Refer to ‘cross-over’ books and examine the audience using concepts such as generational, culture and politics.  Theories can include ideological inference and hegemony.

Refer to examples which fit in this genre such as:

Elliot, Z., & Strickland, S., 2008, Bird. New York:  Lee and Low Books Inc.

Tan, S., 2014, 'The Arrival', Sydney:  Lothian Books

Grimm, J., & Janssen, S., 2008, Hansel und Gretel. Belgium:  Hinstorff.

Continuing with the controversial and challenging theme, refer to examples of these books, as seen above and use following references which examine this genre:

Evans, J., 2015, Challenging and Controversial Picturebooks: Creative and Critical Responses to Visual Texts.  Oxon:  Routledge

CONCLUSION (300 words)

How do all the points raised show that pictures in picturebooks, and particularly wordless picturebooks affect emotional and educational development?: include their effect upon social imagination, crossing boundaries (cultural, generational, linguistic etc), empathy skills, creativity etc.

Here a summary of the main points and a review of the arguments will be presented and explanation of how l have tackled answering the essay title.  It will ensure that all claims made in the introduction have been investigated and completed and will also relate to how the study will impact upon my own work by outlining what l have learned.

TOTAL: 6,000 WORDS

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Harvard style bibliography which can be split into sections showing web sources, books and journals, with a separate section for list of illustrations. E.g.:

Books:

Salisbury, M., & Styles, M., (2012) Children’s Picturebooks: The Art of Visual Storytelling.  London: Lawrence King Publishing (p.7).

Annotated Bibliography

Here is my annotated bibliography for my degree essay:

Emma J. Horsfield

Critical and Cultural Studies

Module code: 6FTC1035

Tutor:  Alessandra Campoli

IDI / University of Hertfordshire

Level 6: Degree Essay / Report:

Essay title (subject to adaptation):

Discuss ways in which pictures in picturebooks contribute to educational and emotional development: with a particular focus on the wordless genre.

Annotated Bibliography

 Arizpe, E., Styles, M., 2005, Children Reading Pictures: Interpreting Visual Texts [e-book].  London:  RoutledgeFalmer. Available at: http://reader.eblib.com/(S(z3fpomos4opzxoeyrkr1dfkn))/Reader.aspx?p=201196&o=79&u=her.6148710026c80227&t=1468326270&h=C3DAF0C344391DA88BF37FB7DF3CBC13F38804D7&s=46760703&ut=174&pg=1&r=img&c=-1&pat=n&cms=-1&sd=2 [Accessed 11 July 2016]

Arizpe (Senior lecturer in Creativity, Culture and Faith at University of Glasgow) and Styles (University of Cambridge, Professor of Children’s Poetry), study children reading visual texts of well known picturebook artists and examine visual literacy and skills needed to gain understanding of pictures.  They explain comprehensively why gender, ethnicity, language, media and culture affect reader responses, why thinking is related to seeing, and why discussion with peers and teachers can alter understanding.  The report examines eighty-four 4 – 11 year olds from different cultural backgrounds, from seven primary schools; asking children to describe pictures, character emotion and why artists address colour, perspective and body language in visual communication in the ways they do.  The authors conclude that challenging examples of picturebooks require highly interactive reading, and issues raised in picturebooks enhance speaking, listening and visual learning skills; information which contributes to my research in explaining why pictures enhance emotional and educational learning.  The article’s main limitation is its studied age group and its target audience is primary educational providers.

Arizpe, E., 2013, Meaning-making from wordless (or nearly wordless) picturebooks: what educational research expects and what readers have to say [online]. Cambridge Journal of Education, 43 (2). Available at: http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/76005/1/76005.pdf [Accessed 08 July 2016]

Senior lecturer Dr. Arizpe investigates the universality of wordless picture books and their appeal to multicultural, multigenerational and multi ability readers, with this overview of research discussing young readers’ responses to wordless texts.  Aiming to present a multi-disciplinary understanding of meaning making and, targeting educational researchers, Arizpe shows the benefits of this genre in language development and storytelling.  Comparing educational research with reader responses, Arizpe finds that after initial silent ‘reading’ of wordless picturebooks, readers translate visual narratives into verbal ones, resulting in more ‘active participation’ and inventiveness, with participants ‘reading’ texts multiple times if necessary for comprehensive understanding.  The article therefore aids my research into why wordless picturebooks aid educational development.  In an article bringing together numerous studies on the subject, Arizpe concludes that children should be left to enjoy the silent unstructured space of the wordless picture book in the midst of a word heavy classroom environment.

Colledge, M., 2005, Baby Bear or Mrs Bear? Young English Bengali-speaking children's responses to narrative picture books at school [online].  Literacy, Volume 39, Issue 1, pages 24–30.  Available at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezproxy.herts.ac.uk/doi/10.1111/j.1741-4350.2005.00394.x/epdf  [Accessed 12 July 2016]

Aiming to engage audiences in primary education or research, Social Sciences and Humanities lecturer Marion Colledge considers why picturebooks aid language development and cultural understanding in the classroom setting.  Her study focuses on six emergent bilingual children and their responses to Western picturebooks.  Carried out over a period of four weeks, the study highlights how readers participate in visual stories; recognising traditions, gender roles and cultural differences in texts, and why these affect reader interpretations.  The main limitation of the article is its focus on such a small age and cultural group, so further research would arrive at a stronger conclusion.  Colledge addresses why teachers should consider stereotypes, dress and artistic style and their contribution to culturally specific illustrations in picturebooks, and why these texts can be successfully used as a cultural bridge between bilingual children and their new surroundings.  Results show children displaying emotional connections to picturebooks, who clearly benefit emotionally and educationally from discussing pictures; this will contribute to my work by adding a cultural angle to explaining why picturebooks are an effective aid to emotional and educational development in children, and also add to Louie and Sierschinski’s (2015) study (cited below).

Doonan, J., 1993, Looking at Pictures in Picture Books.  Glos: Thimble Press.

This book, written by teacher and critic Jane Doonan examines the role and key qualities of pictures in picture books; studying the importance of illustrating mood, emotion and abstract notions as well as being reflective of society values.  She argues that adults and children alike benefit from the reading of picturebooks and that this activity aids aesthetic development.  Though not specific about wordless picturebooks, this book is relevant in addressing in detail the pictures in picturebooks; why they encourage emotional reaction and why line, colour, perspective, scale and colour are so important, which also adds to Salisbury and Styles’ (2012), and Evans’ (1998) writings (cited below).  The book’s main limitation is Doonan’s regular consideration of written narrative which isn’t relevant for my research.  A valuable resource for teachers, several picturebook examples are examined within; exploring the power of image with detailed analysis of new ways of looking at pictures.  Similar in style to Graham’s study (cited below), Doonan encourages classroom conversations about images to develop emotional literacy in participants.  All aspects outlined are relevant to my work and its exploration of why pictures work the way they do and whether they encourage emotional and educational literacy. 

Evans, J., 1998, What’s in the Picture? Responding to Illustrations in Picturebooks.  London: SAGE.

Independent scholar and lecturer in Education at Liverpool Hope University Janet Evans investigates the role of pictures in early literacy, educational and emotional development, and whether images expand thinking skills and appreciation of aesthetics.  Viewing them as a valuable learning tool she argues, as does Colledge (2005, cited above) that culture, gender, ethnicity and social background all contribute to our understanding of images.  Chapter 2 specifically focuses on wordless picturebooks and explores how readers turn visual cues into verbal narratives, and why illustrators use visual icons and techniques such as line, space, colour, angles, close ups and long shots to engage readers and aid visual understanding of texts.  She also looks at the benefits and drawbacks of the wordless narrative and why they are an effective tool for visual communication.  Aimed at education professionals, Evans discusses why pictures in picturebooks contribute to educational and emotional learning.  This publication is paramount to my essay theme and enhances studies outlined in Graham’s book (cited below).  This book’s main limitation is the sample size for the experiments carried out, however it is much more comprehensive than Graham’s, or Doonan’s (cited above) works.

Evans, J., 2015, Challenging and Controversial Picturebooks: Creative and Critical Responses to Visual Texts.  Oxon:  Routledge

Aimed at researchers and education professionals, lecturer Janet Evans presents this collection of studies performed by a number of experts, explaining findings taken from various experiments conducted over several years working with both children and adults.  The studies focus on reactions to challenging or controversial picturebooks (wordless being addressed in chapter 9) and why they encourage discussion, empathy and deeper thinking with the tackling of real issues such as death, war and immigration.  The section on wordless picturebooks by independent scholar Sandie Mourao explains why cultural frameworks influence our interpretations of visual narrative; arguing that wordless picturebooks are more challenging and engaging than their counterparts.  Its limitation is the sample size of participants:  in this chapter three groups of three 8 /9 year olds are examined, concluding that children’s own experiences framed within their culture aid interpretation.  However, the book is unique and comprehensive in analysis and offers a variety of angles of study on my theme; focussing on both emotional and educational development highlighted in its participants.

Galda, L., & Short, K., 1993, Visual Literacy: Exploring Art and Illustration in Children’s Books [online]. The Reading Teacher, March 1993, Vol: 46, Issue 6, pp 506-516. Available at: http://ud7ed2gm9k.search.serialssolutions.com/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fsummon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Children%27s+Books%3A+Visual+Literacy%3A+Exploring+Art+and+Illustration+in+Children%27s+Books&rft.jtitle=The+Reading+Teacher&rft.au=Lee+Galda&rft.au=Kathy+G.+Short&rft.date=1993-03-01&rft.pub=International+Reading+Association&rft.issn=0034-0561&rft.eissn=1936-2714&rft.volume=46&rft.issue=6&rft.spage=506&rft.epage=516&rft.externalDocID=20201117&paramdict=en-UK [Accessed 12 July 2016]

Retired professor of Children’s Literature Galda and Professor of Language Arts Short, collaborate on this exploration into illustration in children’s books; considering whether images assist children in learning about the world.  Targeting those working within primary education, the work studies three levels of book illustration, one being picturebooks.  This section is relevant to my studies as the authors highlight why critical thinking and communication skills develop while interpreting pictures, and expand children’s visual literacy.  The article discusses numerous picture book texts and why their illustrations use line, colour and medium to create visual stimulation and understanding of the story, which expands on Doonan’s (1993) Arizpe and Styles’ (2005) studies, cited above.  Though examples studied are not necessarily wordless, analysis of written text does not form part of the study.  The article could add depth to my argument about why images and aspects of images help to enhance emotional learning; with its descriptive content possibly limiting the quality information it offers.

Graham, J., 1990, Pictures on the Page.  Sheffield: NATE.

As do Arizpe and Styles (2005, cited above), former senior lecturer Judith Graham considers to what extent children’s literacy learning is aided by the use of pictures in picturebooks, and links children’s literature with theories of literacy.  Graham argues that using visual representations aid literacy development, and that contribution of illustration to learning is seriously underestimated.  Addressing that illustrators use visual language techniques, metaphors and symbolism to communicate to readers, she also addresses reader responses to these stimuli.  Covering a variety of picturebook examples, including ‘The Snowman’, a wordless example by Raymond Briggs, she investigates why illustrations contribute to emotional and educational development; concluding that early experiences of picturebooks shape how readers engage with and use literature thereafter.  Considering my area of study Graham highlights throughout the publication why numerous aspects of picturebook illustration contribute to emotional and educational development, though written 26 years ago means wordless picturebooks for study were very limited and more contemporary picturebooks should be considered additionally.

Louie, B., & Siershinski, J., 2015, Enhancing English Learners' Language Development Using Wordless Picture Books [online].  The Reading Teacher, Vol: 69, issue 1, July / August 2015, pp 103-111. Available at: http://ud7ed2gm9k.search.serialssolutions.com/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fsummon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Enhancing+English+Learners%27+Language+Development+Using+Wordless+Picture+Books&rft.jtitle=The+Reading+Teacher&rft.au=Louie%2C+Belinda&rft.au=Sierschynski%2C+Jarek&rft.date=2015-07-01&rft.issn=0034-0561&rft.eissn=1936-2714&rft.volume=69&rft.issue=1&rft.spage=103&rft.epage=111&rft_id=info:doi/10.1002%2Ftrtr.1376&rft.externalDBID=n%2Fa&rft.externalDocID=10_1002_trtr_1376&paramdict=en-UK  [Accessed 12 July 2016]

Aiming to provide teachers with a deeper understanding of the role of wordless picturebooks in English language and literacy development, Professor of Education Louie and assistant Professor Siershinski, examine multiple layers of meaning contained in a variety of wordless picturebook titles.  They examine why learners at different levels of language proficiency benefit from using this book genre (resulting in simple labelling to more complex sentence construction).  This article contributes to the educational aspect of my research examining the benefits to speakers whose first language is not English, and thus expanding upon the article by Colledge (cited above).  When combining the oral and written aspects of language, this article concludes from research and classroom based studies, that wordless picture books do aid language development.  This is encouraged by discussion of visual text and desire to aid peer understanding in social interaction, which enhances the enjoyment of reading.  The article is restricted to studies on children and it would be interesting to see a similar study performed on adult English learners.  However the article adds additional dimension to my research into educational and emotional development by examining outcomes and reactions from the perspective of speakers of another language and of a different cultural background.

Lysaker, J., Hopper, G., 2015, A Kindergartner's Emergent Strategy Use during Wordless Picture Book Reading [online]. The Reading Teacher, Vol: 68, pages 649–657.  Available at: http://ud7ed2gm9k.search.serialssolutions.com/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fsummon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=A+Kindergartner%27s+Emergent+Strategy+Use+During+Wordless+Picture+Book+Reading&rft.jtitle=The+Reading+Teacher&rft.au=Lysaker%2C+Judith&rft.au=Hopper%2C+Elizabeth&rft.date=2015-05-01&rft.pub=Wiley+Subscription+Services%2C+Inc&rft.issn=0034-0561&rft.eissn=1936-2714&rft.volume=68&rft.issue=8&rft.spage=649&rft_id=info:doi/10.1002%2Ftrtr.1352&rft.externalDBID=BKMMT&rft.externalDocID=411319224&paramdict=en-UK  [Accessed 12 July 2016]

Focussing on preschool children, the authors, Associate Professor Lysaker and doctoral student Hopper of Purdue University, examine how wordless picturebooks aid meaning making in young children prior to reading books with print.  The article describes children using a system of searching, cross checking, self correction and re-reading as a means to support meaning making. Where words aren’t available children draw more greatly on previous experience to construct meaning and fill in gaps not answered by a written narrative (highlighted in their student case study).  Concluding, the authors suggest that emergent reading strategies are built upon with the employment of wordless picture books, and preceding the introduction of print, provide a firm basis for reading development.  Building upon what the authors already know the study is of one child’s reaction to ‘I Had Measles’ (also used in Lysaker and Miller’s study, 2013, cited below), which is the main limitation.  However these two articles enhance my research on the effect of wordless picturebooks in early educational development.

Lysaker, J., Miller, A., 2013, Engaging social imagination: The developmental work of wordless book reading [online]. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, June 2013 vol. 13 no. 2 147-174.  Available at: http://ecl.sagepub.com.ezproxy.herts.ac.uk/content/13/2/147.full.pdf+html

[Accessed 12 July 2016]

Professor of Literacy and Language Lysaker, and Professor Miller present a detailed analysis on one second grade student, using the wordless picture book ‘I Had Measles’ (also studied in Lysaker and Hopper, 2015, cited above).  Aimed primarily at those working within early years education, the study details student narrative descriptions of the visual story, with analysis being made of the students’ empathic responses to circumstances in the book (twenty instances of the student displaying understanding of characters’ feelings and thoughts were recorded).  A single case study, it offers detailed analysis into how social imagination develops, but a wider study could be performed using more students over a longer period of time, as well as analysis of the accuracy of the reader’s interpretation of the text which was not done here.  Conclusively, social imagination and the reading of wordless picture books is a reciprocal process and useful in the development of emotional understanding, which contributes relevant material to my report.

Nikolajeva, M., 2013, Picturebooks and Emotional Literacy [online].The Reading Teacher, Vol: 67, Issue 4, December 2013 / January 2014, pp. 249-254.  Available at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezproxy.herts.ac.uk/doi/10.1002/trtr.1229/epdf   [Accessed 12 July 2016]

Emotional literacy is an area of education largely ignored says Nikolajeva, Professor of Education at University of Cambridge.  Her article examines why important life skills such as learning empathy develop by examining how images in picture books connect emotionally to the reader in ways written narrative cannot do.  She looks at the ways visual language is used to communicate emotion and why a child initially recognises these icons in order to form a mental and emotional understanding of character’s feelings.  The article looks at how children perceive character emotions from illustrations, why they relate to them and how it makes them feel.  In conclusion, western culture presents picture books (which develop interpersonal communication), as being only for young children, and thus written text is given priority which can be detrimental to childhood emotional learning.  Although not only focussing on wordless picture books, this article provides a deeper understanding of the way children read images and why it impacts upon their emotional development which is important to my investigation.

Salisbury, M., Styles, M., 2012, Children’s Picturebooks: The Art of Visual Storytelling.  London: Lawrence King Publishing.

Written and compiled by university Professors Martin Salisbury and Morag Styles this comprehensive book examines what goes into creating a successful picture book and why they appeal to readers of all ages.  A wide variety of books are studied throughout and Chapter 4 focuses on the wordless genre.  Targeting teachers, illustrators and students alike, the authors argue that challenging picturebooks aid imaginative development as the reader must create the text for themselves.  Rather than being simple and aimed at young children, they can be incredibly complex and sophisticated; tackling serious issues such as loss and grief, and thus contributing to emotional development.  Other areas covered relevant to my study include looking at visual metaphors, defining visual literacy, visual texts, educational development, exploring relationships, body language, colour and learning seeing and thinking skills.  Its main limitation is its general approach to picturebooks but Chapter 5:  Suitable for Children? also looks at cross-over books and taboo subjects, bearing relevance to my theme in terms of studying emotional literacy and providing introduction to the theme of challenge and controversy as explained by Evans, 2015 (cited above).

Serafini, F., 2014, Exploring Wordless Picture Books [online]. The Reading Teacher, Vol: 68, Issue 1, September 2014, pp. 24-26.  Available at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezproxy.herts.ac.uk/doi/10.1002/trtr.1294/epdf [Accessed 12 July 2016]

Making sense of the world begins with making sense of visual information, argues Serafini, Professor of Literacy Education at Arizona State University.  Aimed at educational professionals, the article discusses the universality of wordless picture books and why they should be considered by what they ‘do’ contain, rather than what they ‘don’t’ (i.e. words).  Wordless picturebooks demand sequential thinking, storytelling, empathy and keen observation in order to create a narrative so helps to nurture these skills in readers.  They are also useful in addressing social issues usually reserved for older children, which clearly presents a challenge and basis for developing emotional literacy in younger children.  Mainly limited by its concise analysis, it still presents some useful arguments relevant to my essay.  Citing Arizpe and others, Serafini concludes that wordless picturebooks encourage the use of imagination to decode images as opposed to literal understanding of words, and thus contribute to educational and emotional development; my area of study.