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).

Turnitin and Essay Planning Notes

Emma J. Horsfield

Critical and Cultural Studies L6: Degree Essay / Report

Module code: 6FTC1035

Turnitin Report

I have looked at how a Turnitin report works and as part of the activity below, read and analysed an essay as well and its basic structure for submission to this level of study.  The notes below will help to keep me focussed on these requirements with the Turnitin information aiding me for the next activity which will be to submit some of my work for a Turnitin report.

The essay in this activity features the following:

Cover Page: (large heading with Time Submitted, Submission ID, Word Count and Character Count in the footer

Title Page: Course code and name, Title of essay, Word count, Subtitles (or quotes), with College details, Tutor, Date and student name on bottom.

Footer on all sheets to contain ‘Degree Essay / Report’

Abstract Page:  Paragraphs of text as well as section on ‘Keywords’

Table of Contents Page: (divided into sections, e.g. Introduction, then other sections essay is divided into)

Section 1:

Introduction Page (1.1) General paragraph, then another heading with question (why relevant?) with paragraph of text and illustrations.  Other sub sections within section 1 to be listed as 1.2, 1.3 and so on. Table of relevant figures could be included for example.  Group illustrations for their relevance (e.g. a set of illustrations proving the same point or referring to the same aspect of an argument should be listed as 2.1, 2.2a, 2.2b etc.)

Define any new terms.

Where tables are used, list as ‘Table 1’ etc rather than ‘Figure 1’, together with title and source (Source:  Author name, title and page numbers).

Section 2 and subsequent sections to be divided up into similar areas (e.g. 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5)

Subsections: can also be divided up into further sections and will become: 3.2.1 and 3.2.2 for example)

Images to be cited:  Fig. 2.1:  Name of image, place (e.g. Boston), museum for example name (Source: soandso.com, 2012)

When mentioning figure numbers in body text put in brackets, e.g. ‘(Figure 5) refers to…’

Captions: (for example referring to benefits of subject matter can be contained in a box of different colour to provide reader interest)

For each new subheading, new figure numbers must be begun.  E.g. If we have already reached fig. 3.4 (that is figure 3, sub 4) under subheading 2 (with sections 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 etc), then we start a new subheading 3.1, the illustration figure number will be ‘figure 4’.

Page numbers must be included on all pages

Where illustrations are used to support the same argument, label as 3.2a and 3.2b (for example) as opposed to 3 and 4.

Each section should have introductory sentences to that section, as well as then addressing keywords and defining any terms.

Penultimate section: on what made me choose this topic.

Final section: Conclusion

Bibliography also in sections:

References

Date in brackets.

Web Sources (including all accessed dates)

List of Illustrations arranged by setting out the figure number first, for example:

Fig. 2.1b: Name (date) Title etc…

Turnitin Originality report: at the end of essay

Similarity index:

·         blue (no matching words)

·         green (one matching word - 24% similarity index)

·         yellow (25-49% similarity index)

·         orange (50-74% similarity index)

·         red (75-100% similarity index)

Sample essay for this activity showed a 21% similarity index.  This means the percentage of text which matches [best] sources in the Turnitin database.  The percentage number (colour coded as per above) for each section of the text where a match is found will show what percentage of the paper matches that source (e.g. 2%).  Clicking on this percentage will open up a box which displays the matching source within its context. 

Slight change of title

I'm still on the same theme but thought my title needed to be altered slightly to accomodate the different angles this could take.

·         Discuss ways in which wordless picture books contribute to educational and emotional development. (discursive)

I have chosen the above approaches because they highlight my main interests and aims for my illustration work and focus on the elements of learning and emotional responses to images in wordless books as well as to highlight the power of wordless picture books in visual communication.  The selected essay title is also open to analysis from a cultural and trans-generational point of view as well as being relevant to the work l am doing practically.  I am interested in ‘cross-over’ books and their appeal to wider audiences and hope my illustrated books will do that. 

The most relevant approaches other than the discursive angle, l felt were the evaluative and analytical approaches and the two questions l formed about wordless picture books transcending cultures and generations.  However I felt these questions would not be something which l could not find a conclusive answer to within the realms of this brief; and l may find that there may not be enough conclusive evidence in the forms of studies and surveys which would provide foundation for the argument.  The discursive approach and the refining of the theme and their contribution to emotional and educational development allows for a more open discussion of all my findings without the requirement of a conclusive answer which would be difficult to reach.  I have researched the subject and found several sources l can reference in my investigation and the theme is one which is becoming more and more studied.  Wordless picture books are also becoming more widely used and are very useful in educational and emotional development settings. 

The focus of my study is solely on the role of the illustrations and their sequencing in the book, as they are without text, and so diversions onto written storylines won’t occur.  The topic relates to my FMP module as l am creating outcomes for a wordless picture book which is a story l have written myself resembling Cinderella in some ways.  Wordless picture books and graphic novels is an area l also see myself working in after graduation.  The function and appeal of wordless picture books is therefore of interest to me personally and relevant to the project on my other module as well as correlating with my long term aims.

Possible sources l can use in my investigation for this essay:

Evans, J., 1998, What’s in the Picture?  Responding to illustrations in Picture books.  London:  Paul Chapman Publishing Ltd.

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

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

Nikolajeva, M., 2013, Picturebooks and Emotional Literacy, 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.

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

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

Osbourne Williams, D., 1994, Every Picture Tells a Story:  The Magic of Wordless Books, School Library Journal, Vol: 40, Issue 8, August 1994, p. 38.

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

The work l produce will look at the subject matter from a variety of angles and use examples in different learning settings, including in primary school or adult education, as well as looking at emotional development.  This will give a broader overview of the effect wordless picture books can have on the learner and how they can be used as a tool for those with English as a second language for example.  I will see where my research takes me and try to be as comprehensive as possible but concise at the same time, using validated examples for reference.