The+Art+and+Artists+of+Picture+Storybooks

What is the role of the art and artists in picture storybooks ?
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added by Laurie Ryan: The art and artist play a very prominent role in picture storybooks. The artist should work collaboratively with the writer so that the illustrations help move the story forward and convey and enhance the meaning of the author’s words. For example in //Grumpy Bird//, Jeremy Tankard used his illustrations to portray Bird’s mood more clearly than words could have described it. With a few simple strokes and some added color, we can watch Bird’s mood transform.

The illustrations of a picture storybook also help create the basic mood. Trina Schart Hyman’s illustrations in Paul Heins’ //Snow White// convey the terror that Snow White is feeling along with the refuge and comfort of the dwarves’ cottage through Hyman’s use of light in her artwork.

Artists also create an added layer of interest for readers with the details they choose to incorporate into their art. For example, children enjoy searching for Pigeon in Mo Wihelms’ books, or humorous details in Lane Smith’s illustrations for //The True Story of the Three Little Pigs// by Jon Scieszka. Helen Oxenbury builds on this idea of the artist’s influence when she explains that the setting for her illustrations in //We’re Going on a Bear Hunt// by Michael Rosen is based on her childhood memories of the landscape of where she grew up.

Artists have a great influence on picture storybooks with their unique creativity and interpretation of the author’s words. The artists brings the words to life. They help to make it a timeless classic that children return to again and again.

Evans, Dilys. //Show & Tell//. San Fancisco: Chronicle Books, 2008. Print. Heins, Paul. //Snow White//. Illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. Little, Brown and Company, 1974. Print. Norton, Donna E. //Through the Eyes of a Child: An Introduction to Children’s Literature 7th Edition//. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson/‌Merrill Prentice Hall, 2007. Print. Oxenbury, Helen. “The Artist at Work: Books for the Very Young.” //Horn Book Magazine// 68.5 (1992): 555 - 559. //Academic Search Primer//. Web. 5 Sept. 2009. Rosen, Michael. //We’re Going on a Bear Hunt//. Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. McEldery, 2003. Print. Scieszka, Jon. //The True Story of the Three Little Pigs//. Illustrated by Lane Smith. Puffin, 1996. Print. Smith, Lane. “The Artist at Work.” //Horn Book Magazine// 69.1 (1993): 64 - 71. //Academic Search Primer//. Web. 5 Sept. 2009.


 * Edited by Meghan Cilley**

What is the role of Art and Artists in picture storybooks?

Art and Artists play an integral role in picture storybooks. The illustrations in a picture storybook work to complement the text and are an important part of the story. The text of a storybook would be limited on its own without the illustrations to complete the story. The art should not only depict the action of the story but also add unique details to the story which are not readily found in the text.

The art in picture storybooks works to improve the story by developing the characters as in Mercer Mayer’s book “Me To!” The book has a straightforward text so it is the illustrations of the brother’s facial expressions that convey his true feelings when hs sister wants to do everything he does. The illustrations can also help to show tension or action that it going to happen in the story next. Eddie‘s face in Jez Alborough‘s book “It‘s the Bear!” lets readers know that what Eddie hears is a bear even before the picture of the bear appears. In the story. The style of the illustrations also give clues to the reader of the mood in the story. In Mercer Mayer’s “ There’s a Nightmare in my Closet” the illustrations are all dark depicting the dark and scary room but when he confront his nightmare they are bright with white backgrounds.

Artists employ a number of techniques including style, medium and design elements to convey meaning in their pictures. The style Eric Carle uses is black line art cutting painted paper and tissue to fill in the color. The resulting texture makes the illustrations jump off the paper. Artists use elements of design including line ,color and point of perspective to add different dimension to the story being told. Varying styles are employed when illustrating picture storybooks which can range from the personal style of Eric Carle to the cartoon style of Dr. Seuss and the realistic style in “Clara and the Freedom Quilt”.

__Works Cited__ Alborough, Jez. “It’s The Bear” Carl, Eric. “The Apron” Hopkinson, Deborah. “Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt” Mayer, Mercer. “There’s a Nightmare in my Closet” Mayer, Mercer. “Me Too!” Seuss, Dr. “Dr Seuss’s ABC”