What is the use of a book,’ thought Alice, ‘without pictures or conversations?

Each questions is 2-3 paragraphs

LIT217
Unit 5: Picture Books—Coping with the Unpleasant Through Pictures
“‘What is the use of a book,’ thought Alice, ‘without pictures or conversations?’”
-Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
As Alice astutely observes in the above quote, the books most often associated with children are picture books, or books whose stories rely heavily on both visual and textual elements. While the use of illustrations often leads to the assumption that picture books are simple or easy, it’s important to note that in matching the meaning of a picture to the meaning of the words below the picture, readers are practicing a complex analytical action, one that is essential to the process of learning to read. What’s more, the ability to break down images is increasingly important in a world steeped in visual images generated by television shows, advertisements, and movies—all of which heavily target children.
According to Carrie Hintz and Eric Tribunella, the authors of Reading Children’s Literature: A Critical Introduction, reading picture books helps children both learn to read and to think critically. This is because the relationship between words and pictures is either “symmetrical” or “complementary.” In symmetrical picture books, “the words and pictures have the same message, and the pictures reinforce the words,” thereby encouraging reading comprehension. In complementary picture books, “words and images are interdependent”—that is, “the images advance the story…beyond what the text says, while the text provides information not conveyed by the pictures.” This compels young readers to fill in the gaps, to make inferences, to guess, and to problem-solve.
With improvements in printing techniques and production, the twentieth-century saw a rise in the popularity of picture books in the U.S. Now, more than ever before, picture books are an integral part of American childhood. Still, even with improvements in mass production, picture books—often published in hardcover and brimming with colorful but costly images—can be expensive. And while many of the texts that we have read in this course have been digitized, making them cheap and readily available, the same cannot be said for picture books. Though students and instructors appreciate the cost effectiveness and tree-saving nature of digital texts, parents and many others argue fervently in favor of the sensory experience that holding a physical book offers, especially for children.
This is all to say that I’ve developed something of a Children’s Literature Library in the CSDL’s testing room. Rather than require you to purchase each of the picture books assigned below, I’d prefer that you used the books provided by the Center. If you’re not able to come to the CSDL to use these books, you should be able to find the majority of them at your local library.
Readings & Materials (with the exception of Zickuhr’s work, one copy of each picturebook is available in the CSDL; copy must be used in the CSDL—may not be taken home):
-Toshi Maruki, Hiroshima No Pika (The Flash of Hiroshima)
-Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Things Are
-Shel Silverstein, The Giving Tree
-Dr. Seuss, The Sneetches
-Javaka Steptoe, Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat
Homework Assignment:
1.) Writer Kathryn Zickuhr reports that “children’s books, which often feature large illustrations and may incorporate various tactile elements, aren’t as well suited to e-ink or touchscreens.” Do you agree? If so, what exactly is lost by reading a picture book in a digital format?
2.) In the “About This Book” section at the end of Hiroshima No Pika, Maruki writes, “It is very difficult to tell young people about something very bad that happened, in the hope that their knowing will keep it from happening again.” Do you agree with this statement? Is this a story that, while difficult to hear, must be told to children? In thinking about this question and what children can handle, you might consider looking back to the Bettelheim reading from Unit 2.
3.) To state the obvious, Hiroshima No Pika deals with heavy, graphic subject matter. Yet, while one might expect the pictures in this picturebook to be unbearably violent, they are surprisingly subdued. How do the illustrations both reinforce the message of the book while also making this difficult subject a bit easier for children to cope with?
4.) When Where the Wild Things Are was first published, some psychologists worried that it would encourage “wild” or unruly behavior in their children. Since then, however, Where the Wild Things Are has become a children’s classic, beloved by young readers, parents, and even former President Obama. What, in your opinion, were those early psychologists and critics missing out on? What is this book truly about and what can it inspire in children?
5.) While Silverstein’s The Giving Tree is economical, both in words and illustrations, it’s surprisingly complex in terms of messaging. Many readers have pointed to a similarity between the tree and the boy and a typical parent-child relationship. Others believe this to be a story about the virtue and joy of selflessness and generosity. What do you think? Is giving to others always the right thing to do? Can you ever give too much?
6.) Theodor Geisel (also known as Dr. Seuss) claims that he wrote The Sneetches to express his aversion to anti-semitism. How does this message translate to children? What do you think children might gain from reading this story?
7.) Stepcoe begins Radiant Child by encouraging young readers to “create using the materials, people, and places in their environment.” This invitation is then reinforced by the fact that Stepcoe created the story’s artwork using materials she found on the streets of New York. How does this book challenge traditional definitions of art? Why might this wider definition of art be beneficial to children?
8.) Radiant Child also features a complicated relationship between a son and his mentally ill mother. How does Stepcoe work to make a difficult subject more palatable for young children?

Last Completed Projects