Woodland Friends cover

All hand drawn and painted including lettering.  A personal project for a children's picturebook.

Snow White illustration

Spot illustration for the well known children's story Snow White.  Here she is presented with the apple by the witch... (Graphite and ink pencils)

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)

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.

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. 

Research so far: refection

I have very much enjoyed researching my theme as it is one l am personally very interested in and able to apply to my work and ambitions as an illustrator.  I am very happy with the availability of research material for inclusion in my report, and am also inspired by the level of academic interest in the study of pictures: particularly that of illustrations in wordless picture books.  The wordless picturebooks genre seems to be an increasing market as well as a universal one; which l would like to become more submerged in as l gain experience.

The process of activities dealing with the discovery and refinement of reference material, though feeling repetitive and tedious at times, certainly benefited my work for submission 1, by ensuring my focus remained on the most germane resources.  Although creating the annotated bibliography was much more time consuming than l anticipated l feel l managed my time well and located a number of relevant and important resources for my study.  I also purchased several books for use as reference in this module; which will also be useful later in my career.  I found the interaction with peers on the forum useful and took advice regarding certain reference material by peers, such as the article Wordless picturebooks: critical and educational perspectives on meaning-making (Arizpe & Styles, 2005). 

Creating the reflective blog is a useful and ongoing method of refining ideas and developing critical thinking and l will dedicate time to this on a regular basis.  It is also an effective means of recording information, such as keeping details of reference material and highlighting how ideas develop and change.

Linking in the essay with practical work undertaken on the Final Major Project module means l can visualise my work in context and learn not just in theoretical ways but in practical ones too.  It also helps to keep my mind on the same theme so l can gain thorough knowledge in an area l have the most interest in, and wish to work in upon graduation.

Locating and reading much of the material found on my essay theme, has made me feel positive and enthusiastic about my work and future prospects.  I am keen to continue with my studies on this subject and am looking forward to working on the essay to develop my knowledge to a high standard.  I feel the skills and knowledge l gain from this will contribute greatly to my work, ethos and outlook as a professional illustrator and enhance my academic critical thinking.

Shortly, l will post my annotated bibliography which l will be referring to regularly while continuing with research for my final essay.

Research boundaries

Continuing with my research for my dissertation for Ba (Hons) Illustration l am now looking in more detail at possible sources l can use which are relevant to my studies and focussing on key words and phrases so l don't go off track.  I am finding that there is substantial information out there in terms of academic sources as well as many wordless picture book examples which l can use as examples in my essay.

I am interested in finding out to what extent and in what ways people can benefit educationally and emotionally from ‘reading’ wordless picture books.

I already know that wordless picture books are a useful reseaource in crossing language barriers and can thus be used by people from all backgrounds in a variety of settings.  Many wordless picture books also tackle issues which are sensitive or ‘difficult’ and also allow the reader to create the story themselves and apply it in a way which is personal to them.  They are also useful for developing the imagination, especially in children as well as their understanding of how to read a book in the physical sense (e.g. left to right, top to bottom, in our culture).  I have sourced a number of wordless picture books and will be looking at these in my research to use as examples to back up references from academic sources.

The aims of my research are to provide me with a broad academic overview of the ways in which wordless picture books can be used to enhance people’s lives and experiences as well as developing emotional and learning skills.

The main elements l find interesting about this topic are: the theme is directly related to the genre of illustration which l plan to work in; that is the genre of wordless picture books.  It also has a lot of scope to explore difficult and sensitive issues which are of great interest to me.  l would like to inject personal experience and emotional understanding into my work so that others can relate to it on a deeper level and thus empathise / sympathise with the main characters who will be the underdog / scapegoat / the outsider.  I want to give to protagonist the voice he / she has never had and for the reader to see that being different, for example, is not a bad thing.

Key words (and variations):

Wordless [picture books] (no text, picture book, wordless graphic novel)

Emotion (empathy, sympathy, feelings, psychological, psycho-analytical)

Education (learning, tuition, instruction, development, literacy)

Development (growth, progress, expansion)

Additional research interests:

Cross-cultural, linguistic, cross-generational, sensitive themes, psychological development

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

Arizpe, E., 2014, Wordless picturebooks: critical and educational perspectives on meaning-making [online article] Available at: http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/76005/1/76005.pdf [Accessed 04 July 2016]

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

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.

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

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

Richey, V.H., & Puckett, K.E., 1992, Wordless/almost wordless picture books: A guide. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited.

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.

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.

Possible wordless picture book examples for reference:

Baker, J, 2010, Mirror, London:  Walker Books.

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

Camcam, P., 2014, Fox’s Garden, NY: Enchanted Lion Books.

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.

Garoche, C., 2015, The Snow Rabbit, NY: Enchanted Lion Books.

Kim, P., & Sanchez, S., 2014, Here l am, London: Curious Fox.

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

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

Pinkney, J., 2011, The Lion and the Mouse, London: Walker Books Ltd.

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

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

Weisner, D., 1988, Free Fall, NY: Harper Collins Publishers.