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Almost Wordless
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From: Megan Schliesman <schliesman_at_education.wisc.edu>
Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 09:37:06 -0500
I've come upon some almost wordless books recently that have struck me with their visual literacy potential.
First, there is the lovely and tender "The Lion and the Bird" by Marianne Dubuc (U.S. edition: Enchanted Lion). My CCBC colleague Emily Townsend describes this book as having a flimic sensibility. And in fact there is such a strong sense of visual narrative that the words are just about unnecessary. The story is strong and stirring, with the use of a variety of techniques that not only convey the action but also the emotional landscape.
A complete stylistic contrast is "The Monkey Goes Bananas" by C.P. Bloom with illustrations by Peter Raymundo (Abrams). This is patently and delightfully absurd, and the mix of full-page and two-panel illustrations skillfully uses a variety of standard visual devices in comics to great effect. The words here are spare, but so perfect, grounding the over-the-top visual humor with a droll commentary.
I think it would be great fun to use two really different books like these with a group of kids to talk about the fact that visual images and visual imagery can be conveyed in many different ways to tell a story, to elicit and response, and, especially with "The Lion and the Bird" to create space for thinking more deeply about what is happening.
Megan
Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 09:37:06 -0500
I've come upon some almost wordless books recently that have struck me with their visual literacy potential.
First, there is the lovely and tender "The Lion and the Bird" by Marianne Dubuc (U.S. edition: Enchanted Lion). My CCBC colleague Emily Townsend describes this book as having a flimic sensibility. And in fact there is such a strong sense of visual narrative that the words are just about unnecessary. The story is strong and stirring, with the use of a variety of techniques that not only convey the action but also the emotional landscape.
A complete stylistic contrast is "The Monkey Goes Bananas" by C.P. Bloom with illustrations by Peter Raymundo (Abrams). This is patently and delightfully absurd, and the mix of full-page and two-panel illustrations skillfully uses a variety of standard visual devices in comics to great effect. The words here are spare, but so perfect, grounding the over-the-top visual humor with a droll commentary.
I think it would be great fun to use two really different books like these with a group of kids to talk about the fact that visual images and visual imagery can be conveyed in many different ways to tell a story, to elicit and response, and, especially with "The Lion and the Bird" to create space for thinking more deeply about what is happening.
Megan
--
Megan Schliesman, Librarian
Cooperative Children's Book Center
School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Room 401 Teacher Education
225 N. Mills Street
Madison, WI 53706
608/262-9503
schliesman_at_education.wisc.edu
ccbc.education.wisc.edu
My regular hours are T-F, 8-4:30.
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Received on Fri 19 Sep 2014 09:37:34 AM CDT
