Picture Books

What is a picture book? Think back to any picture books that you have read. What is included in a picture book? How could we define a picture book?

So…What is a picture book? A picture book is a book in which the illustrations play an important role in telling the story. Traditionally, picture books are 32 pages They have simple plot lines with one main character who reflects the readers concerns, viewpoints and emotions Picture books cover many different topics and styles.

What picture books can you name and what topics do they cover?

What are the conventions of picture books? What elements do picture books use to tell a story? Think about the pictures Consider the written text

Colour Colour is an important aspect of any imagine. Colour acts symbolically to produce an emotional reaction from us as readers. What do the following colours symbolize? How do they make us feel? Red Blue Purple White Black Yellow green

Salience The salient image in a visual text is the first image that a viewer sees when looking at an image. Salience is important as it is where the audience will begin their reading path. To correctly find the salient image close your eyes when you first look at the text and when you open them take note of the first thing that your eyes are drawn to. There are a number of reasons why a feature of a visual text may be the salient feature: The colour is bright and therefore stands out. The image is particularly eye catching. The layout - or where the image has been placed.

What is the salience on this page? Why?

Reading path This is the way that our eyes are directed around the page. e.g. We may begin viewing from the top of the page and move down horizontally. . . Or . . . We may begin in one corner and move to the next Look at the picture book extract on the next page… what is your reading path? Most Australians read left to right from top to bottom so often this is how texts are constructed

Tone This is shown through the lightness or darkness of the colours used. It also helps establish the mood in the image Symbolism Symbols are signs or objects placed in illustrations to highlight ideas or give readers hidden clues as to the meaning of the picture, page or story. Colours are also symbols as they represent something other than just colour

What are these items and what do they symbolise? Can you think of any other common symbols?

Point of view Gaze This is how the reader sees the images. Is it looking from above or at eye level or from below Gaze Is the character looking directly at us or are the characters looking at each other? We tend to follow the gaze of the character

Saturation The degree of depth or vibrancy in a colour Which colour is most saturated in the following image?

Layout Layout is simply how the images and narration are set out on the page

Dialogue Narration Vector The words spoken by the character the way and voice that the story is told Vector Line created on the page by the illustrations A technique to make readers take a specific reading path; where we might normally read top to bottom, an author may place an illustration in such a way as to make us read bottom to top