Pictures in Picture Books

Most picture books combine pictures and words to make stories more understandable, fascinating, and memorable. Without pictures, the true meaning of a text may be lost. Equally, without words, the true meaning of a picture may be missed. Indeed, Perry Nodelman notes that "words without pictures can be vague and incomplete, incommunicative about important visual information." At the same time, "pictures without words can be vague and incomplete, lacking the focus, the temporal relationships, and the internal significance so easily communicated by words" (10). With examples, this essay explains how words and pictures complement each other in picture books, and why the interaction between the two is important for the development of reading comprehension.

A popular adage says pictures speak more than a thousand words. It is true that pictures communicate information in a way words may not. Nodelman posits that pictures support and complete the meaning of text, and carry a great deal of visual significance. Due to its visual character, a picture often contains more information than the text that accompanies it. Indeed, as noted by Zhihui Fang, pictures serve as illustrations for written text. They expand and interpret the text in a way the text may not achieve on its own. They add clarity to the context of a story -- its historical background, temporal attributes, as well as its mood and symbolic meaning. For instance, pictures can illustrate medieval cultures and events in a way words cannot. A picture does not just say something happened; it demonstrates that it happened. This helps form a more permanent representation of the story in the reader's mind.

In Outside Over There, Ellen Duthie narrates the story of Ida, an 8- to 10-year-old girl who watches over her sister while her parents are away. Ida is, however, inattentive to the baby, giving goblins an opportunity to kidnap the baby. She then engages in a mission to rescue her sister. Certainly, this is an ordeal filled with emotions. Ida encounters a great deal of sadness and sorrow when her sister is kidnapped. Also, she bravely enters the caves to save the baby from the goblins. Her braveness results in successfully taking her sister back home. Without visual illustrations, these emotions can only... When one watches a video of the same story or views some pictorial illustrations, the ordeal for Ida becomes clearer. Ida can be seen in deep grief when she discovers her sister is missing. She is also overwhelmed by joy when she successfully retrieves her sister from the goblins. The illustrations depict her lifting and carrying her sister cheerfully. The pictures make the story more fascinating, understandable, and relatable.
The importance of pictures in picture books is further demonstrated in van Allsburg's The Garden of Abdul Gasazi. In this story, Miss Hester entrusts her neighbour Alan Mitz, a little boy to look after her dog Fritz. Everything goes well throughout the morning, but an afternoon walk ends in Alan and Fritz in the house of retired magician Abdul Gasazi. The magician tricks Alan into believing that the dog turned into a duck, only for Alan to find the dog in Miss Hester's house once he returns from Gasazi's house. Narrating this story without pictures may not generate the same meaning and understanding of the trials and tribulations involved, if narrated only in words. Pictures help illustrate the close relationship between Alan and the dog, his fascination for the afternoon walk, his curiosity on noticing a warning that dogs are not allowed into Gasazi's garden, and his determination to stop the adamant Fritz from entering the garden. The pictures also show the scenic appearance of Gasazi's house, Alan's remorsefulness for Fritz's entry into the garden, Gasazi's dislike for dogs, Alan's sadness when he is unable to find Fritz, and the little boy's feeling of silliness when he discovers Gasazi tricked him. Without pictures, the reader may not effectively capture Alan's encounter and the emotions it elicited.

Pictures, according to Fang, are also important for defining and developing characters. Every character in a story possesses certain characteristics, which attract the attention of the reader. Often, it may not be feasible for a story teller to mention all the details of characters. With pictures, however, the storyteller can use lesser words to depict a story, while at the same time adding life to the story. The story teller can use illustrations to depict the traits of the characters and their emotions…