rdannen’s blog

From the article Understanding The Visual Language Of Picturebooks, I have learned more about the importance of pictures in picturebooks.  I always knew that the pictures helped children get into the book more and understand the words visually, but I never thought about how much the pictures tie the book together.  Catalano describes that the purpose of the illustrations in Where The Wild Things Are  and The Polar Express is to help readers have a better understanding of how the story is set up.  The illustrations explain the text and add more to what the author is trying to say.  For example, in Where The Wild Things Are the illustrations help the reader realize the events that lead up to the characters actions and the wild things themselves rely on their visual appearance to show the children that they are not scary and harmful creatures.  With The Polar Express, the illustrations set the stage for the Christmas Eve that many people remember.  Catalano also explains that the illustrations show narrative without actually reading words and usually have a deeper meaning.  People should take the time to create a deeper investigation of books pictures, but they also need to know when the appropriate time for children to make those connections is.  I thought the article gave a better insight to the importance of pictures in picturebooks and I will now dive deeper into the pictures and not just the text.