VISUAL ANALYSIS OF A PICTURE BOOK Each illustration in a picture book communicates on its own, and together with the other illustrations, contributes to the overall aesthetic quality of the book. Adapted from Kay E. Vandergrift “Notes for the Analysis of a Picture Book” Rutgers University

What is the message? How is the message conveyed? How is the medium/media used? How do the visual elements interact? QUESTIONS FOR A VISUAL INTERPRETIVE ANALYSIS

Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney Designed by Cathi Miyoshi-Miller

What does this illustration communicate to viewers? Choose the answer that reflects your interpretation of the illustration: 1. The illustration reveals something about the life of Miss Rumphius 2. The illustration creates a focal point 3. The illustration creates a definite mood 4. The illustrator shows depth and distance

Miss Rumphius is happy and satisfied with her life's accomplishments. She is smiling in a contented way. Notice how intently the town's children are listening as she tells them stories of her adventures. She has traveled to far away places. Notice the African sculpture and the large seashells which she could not have gotten locally at the time.

Miss Rumphius is dressed all in black and stands out against her surroundings. She is darker than anything else in the painting and your eye is drawn to her first. By placing her above the majority of the children she presides over the room. All the children are looking directly at Miss Rumphius. This technique adds visual unity to a picture.

The room is visually appealing with a warm fire burning and tea and cookies to eat. The children sit comfortably on oversize cushions and listen to the thrilling stories. The room is filled with warm colors, reds, oranges and browns. Warm colors evoke happy, cheerful responses.

The view out the window and the lace curtains add depth to the painting. You can see the ocean, all the way to the horizon. The illustrator uses blue in the back room and for the ocean. These things are the furthest away. Blue is a cool color and cool colors recede in a painting. The foreground is done in warm colors and these colors come forward, making these things appear closer. (taken from Design Basics, David Lauer, New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1979). The higher things are on the page, the further away they appear to be. The large chair in the back room is the highest on the page and with the exception of the horizon line, it's the furthest away from the viewer.

Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson Designed by Kay E. Vandergrift

What does this illustration communicate to viewers? Choose the answer that reflects your interpretation of the illustration : A warm and caring relationship between the adult and the child. Attention to the details of their craft. The importance of the squares in the quilt as symbols.

Notice the way the two characters lean slightly toward each other as they focus their attention on the quilt.

Notice how Aunt Rachel's fingers smooth the quilt and point to features in the design.

Notice the star and the patterns of the squares representing geographical features. Learning to read the quilt was a factor in finding a way north for escaping slaves.