Last year while working with Book Village, I also had the opportunity to complete my postgraduate studies, with one of my papers, ‘‘Children’s literature in Education,’ looking specifically at the impact of picturebooks on young readers. This paper was interesting in so many ways, but I particularly enjoyed how much it linked with our work at Book Village.
Roche (2015) explains that Picturebooks “are immense sources of pleasure as well as a means of sparking off an interest in reading for children who are just beginning that process.” There are so many skills that can be taught through picturebooks. It is important to note that it is not just the text in picturebooks that can spark enjoyment and learning as the pictures are just as important as the text. As Michaels and Walsh (1990) state, “Pictures and picture books are an important part of the meaning making process. Reading pictures is just as complex, perhaps more complex, than reading print: it can also be just as rewarding as reading print.”
Pictures teach important skills
As the world around us becomes more visual and complicated, students need to learn how to take meaning from all forms of information. Bull and Anstey (2007) explain that “Knowledge of print text …is still necessary, but it is no longer sufficient in a highly visual age of increasing technological innovation.” They go on to explain that “picture books are a great place to commence the study of still images” as they are familiar and accessible.
The combination of words and pictures also support a range of skills including learning how to visualise what is happening in the story, developing imagination, helping students to decode new words, and explaining or helping them understand new vocabulary. The combination of pictures and words also help students to develop inference skills as they learn to combine clues from the text and the pictures with their own experiences to create meaning. Pictures can also help even the youngest of readers to understand the sequence of events allowing them to make sense of the story.
Picturebooks act as mirrors and windows
Daly (2021) states that “an important function of children’s books is to provide windows into other people’s worlds; but just as importantly, they should provide mirrors of a range of children’s realities.” Books that give voice to and illustrate a range of human experiences allow readers to develop empathy for others and understanding and compassion for themselves.
Tan (2002) explains that “the lessons we learn from studying pictures and stories are best applied to a similar study of life in general – people, places, objects, emotions, ideas and the relationships between them all.” With even the youngest of readers, pictures can help students recognise and understand emotions, help them to connect to characters and develop a sense of empathy and understanding for experiences that are not their own.
Pictures increase enjoyment
Regardless of how incredibly beneficial it is for students to learn how to gain meaning from pictures, the best part about pictures is that they add to the enjoyment of the reader. Michaels and Walsh (1990) state that “when the two symbolic systems [of picture and print] work together, the satisfaction, enjoyment and stimulation is more than doubled.” We see this in every interaction our students have with their tutors, in their grins, giggles and concentration through their reading sessions.
There are so many skills that our students are learning, practising and developing during their reading sessions. Through the support of our volunteers, our students are developing reading skills that will impact how they see themselves and the world around them for the rest of their lives.
Written by: Eva Roding (Book Village volunteer)
References
Bull, G. & Anstey, M. (2007). Exploring visual literacy through a range of texts. Practically Primary 12(3), 4-7.
Daly, N. (2021). Voices in the library: Curating New Zealand children’s literature. New Review of Children’s Literature and Librarianship, 27(1), 33-48
https://doi- org.ezproxy.auckland.ac.nz/10.1080/13614541.2021.1972758
Michaels, W. & Walsh, M. (1990) Up and Away: using picture books. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Roche, M. (2015). Developing children’s critical thinking through picturebooks: a guide for primary and early years students and teachers. Routledge.
Tan, S. (2002) Picture Books: Who are They For? Online, available at: http://www.shauntan.net/images/whypicbooks.pdf (accessed Jan 2014).
