Amanda Kronenberger

Picture Book Analysis

EDCI443
Part I
Keeping a child engaged and interested in a story requires numerous different
elements. Picture books are intended to be read out loud to a child by an adult as the child
follows along with the illustration. The words of the story and illustrations must work
together to successfully tell, enhance and/or expand on a story. The text must be simple
enough for the child to understand, while sparking the childs interest as well. There are
different elements of both text and illustration that can be used to tell a story, which can
be broken down into many parts when examining a book for high quality. (Horning, 85-
88) Books must also be evaluated based on the word the children live in, to see if it
addressed any social justice issues, and how.
Children have limits to how much they can understand, so the story cannot be
presented in a way that is too sophisticated. The child is mostly focused on the pictures as
the adult reads it out loud. Horning says the text should be short and get to the point, so it
is important that every word counts. (Horning, 88) Therefor, while the story should be
explained well, lengthy descriptions are pointless, according to Horning. While I believe
this to be true for some stories, others cannot be presented in such a way. While the text
should be simple, the length should not be restricted to being short, because the story may
not be able to be told in a just a few words per page. It is very important that a picture
book keep the interest of both the reader and the child. The text should flow naturally and
you should not feel rushed to turn the page, this is a sign of poor pacing. The text should
be broken down into segments, similar to chapters in a novel. For the story to progress
nicely, things must be continuously happening, if there is too much or not enough
happening in a segment, the pace of the story will be off. You should feel a natural flow
while reading a story. (Horning, 93)
Another important thing to understand when evaluating picture books it is not just
what the story is about, but also how the story is told. This is called the structure of the
book. For example, rhyme and repetition are features of structure. Rhyming helps a child
pay attention to the story because it keeps them actively engaged in listening. It is
pleasing for them to listen to and also allows them to predict what the last word of the
couplet or quatrain may be. Repetition also keeps the child engaged with the same sense
of predictability. (Horning, 90) Every time the child hears a familiar word or phrase, they
are brought back into the story. By using the same sentence structure, actions, or phrases,
the child can easily follow and predict what will come next. The author can then
introduce a surprising aspect, which will to make the story more entertaining both for
children and adults. (Horning, 92)
Aside from the way the text is structured, the illustrations are just as important, as
this is what the children will be following. The illustrations must be visually appealing,
while directly relating to the story as it is being told. Line, shape, texture, value and color
are some of the elements that go into every picture, while an artist will usually use one
more in a work than others. (Horning, 96) Additionally, the composition is how the artist
arranges the visual elements of the work in order to portray a certain mood or effect. The
design principals put into every illustration are very thought out and done with great
purpose. For example, dominance within an illustration will draw the eye to an important
aspect of a picture the illustrator wants you to take particular notice of.
Alternation gives an illustration a pattern by showing the same type of element
repeatedly. For example, in picture books it is often seen in wallpaper, curtains or
clothing. (Horning, 98-100) This is interesting because it gives the child something
familiar to follow throughout the story. This is an example of Harmony, which is
showing both change and continuity. Presenting the same visual element but changing it
slightly from page to page shows harmony. Variation is incorporating many different
elements such as colors or shape to make it interesting. All of these should somehow
relate to the text and/or tie into the story as a whole in a logical way. (Horning. 99-100)
Another element that is important in the illustrations of a childrens book is the media
used, like drawing, painting, printmaking, collage and photography. In addition, the style
the author has chosen is important. Whether the illustrator used realistic style, which
shows things as they are in real life, or abstract, which distorts real life things, there must
be a purpose behind this that relates to the overall story. (Horning, 109-110)
Examining an illustrators work critically will allow you to see the illustrators
intent in the pictures. The elements the author chooses to use in the illustrations all work
together to tell the story. When you can understand all of the elements, you will see how
they are used in the pictures to enhance to the story. It may tell the readers something
about the characters, show action or depict a mood the reader may not feel even in the
reading. (Horning, 100) The illustrator can use lines, shapes, colors or many other
elements to bring attention to or away from things in a picture to convey a message. Also,
thinking of all the pictures in the book and how they work with one another. You will be
able to notice if they vary, if they are logical or if there is harmony among the pictures
and how this presents certain moods. Lastly, thinking about how the pictures work with
the text of the story is crucial. They many highlight certain aspects, expand on things
written or show details not even mentioned in the text that are important to the overall
story. All of these things are important in analyzing picture books. (Horning, 10)
Most classrooms are very diverse and all the children in your classroom will come
from numerous different backgrounds and will have been raised in many specific ways. It
is our job to present books in which they can all learn from and relate to. Some books
may present a social justice issue, such as race, ethnicities, gender representation or
predictions about popularity. It is important to analyze whether the books challenges or
perpetuates these concepts. While all books may not present such issues, it is important to
closely analyze the ones that to to make sure they are appropriate, unbiased and accurate.
Part II
Boston Globe John Henry by Julius Lester, pictures by Jerry Pinkney
The Boston Globe-Horn Book Award is one of the
highest honors given to childrens and Young Adult
Literature given out every year. There can be up to two
winners in three categories that are Picture Book, Fiction
and Poetry and Nonfiction. John Henry tells the story of an
African American folk tale that is not commonly known
about a very fast growing, strong young boy who grows up
to race against a steam drill to cut into a mountain. John Henry is an knows as a hero
whose lesson is to live life to the fullest. It shows that is it not how long you live that is
important, but how well you lived while you were alive.
Although the text is long, it is simple enough for children to understand. The book
is structured in short paragraphs with a few per page. Throughout the book, there are
many descriptions of sound. When something is meant to be louder, it is capitalized. For
example, BANG! as the sound of a gunshot to signal the start of a race and
KERBOOB BLAMMITY-BLAMMITY BOOMBOOM BANGBOOMBANG as the
sound of dynamite exploding. This signals the adult who is reading the text to get louder,
and also makes it more interesting for the child who is listening because it is more
dramatic. There is something happening on every page that keeps both the child and adult
engaged in the story and interested in what will happen next. It has a natural flow and the
plot is laid out in such a way that understandable and entertaining, which shows it has
good pacing. (Horning, 93-95)
The illustrations of this book correlate very well with the text. Each picture is
very detailed with earth toned, realistic pictures. In all of the photos, John Henry is
wearing something red that makes him stand out, which is called dominance and draws
the readers eye to a certain subject in the picture. (Horning, 98) Most of the book is set
outdoors, so there is a lot of greens. Red is a complementary color to green, because
green and red are opposite hues, which shows the illustrator wanted John Henry to stand
out greatly. A few pages into the book, the red item he is wearing is a red bandeau around
his neck for the remainder of the book, as you can see in the cover photo. This is an
example of alternation, which aids in keeping a childs attention, especially in such a long
book, because it is something they will look for in every picture. Also, at the end of the
book, every time John Henry is working, a rainbow appears around his shoulders. This is
also an example of alternation because it is continuously showing up in the pictures.
(Horning, 99) John Henry is also said to be larger than anyone else, which is shown in the
pictures very well. When he is standing next to other people or animals, you can tell that
he is physically larger than normal, which shows consistency with the text.
John Henry does not address any social justice issues. Although it is an African
American folk tale from around the time when slavery was ended, it does not go into
those issues. It is based on teaching the moral that everyone should live life to the fullest
and get as much out of the life they have, no matter how long or short it may be. This is a
good book because all children can learn from its message no matter their race, gender or
culture.
Medal- Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback
The Caldecott Medal is awarded to a book by an
American author published in the United States for children that
is of excellent quality and is unique in text and illustration.
Taback is both the author and the illustrator of the picture book,
Joseph had a Little Overcoat. This book is about a man named
Joseph who uses an overcoat and continuously recycles it into different garments as it
gets old and warn. The moral of this story is that, You can always make something out
of nothing, as Joseph did with his overcoat. He remade it into scarf, tie, handkerchief, a
button and other garments until it was so used there was nothing left. Then, he made a
book out of the story of the overcoat. The artwork is done in a folk-art style using
watercolor, pencil, ink and collage. The book is based on an old Jewish folksong, I Had
a Little Overcoat, and displays folk art to accompany the text.

As you flip the pages of the book, die-cut holes show the pattern of the coat on the
next page as a clue of what will be the next garment that Joseph will make next. Pictured
above you can see the pattern in the necktie that Joseph is wearing, which is an example
of alternation because children can follow the pattern throughout the book in all of the
garments that Joseph makes. There is also an element of surprise as you flip the pages to
see what Joseph will make next from the fabric of the original overcoat. The child can
guess by the shape of the cutout to see what the next garment will be, which is
entertaining for both the adult and the child. The text is very simple and easy to follow,
while the pages are filled with detailed pictures with many warm, bold colors, which
shows variation. The text shows repetition by repeating, Joseph had a little and
naming the last garment he made, and then saying, It got old and warn. Next, it says,
So he and states the next garment he made out of it. This is beneficial for keeping the
childs attention throughout the story because the familiar words draw them back in if
they may have gotten distracted. It is very simple for them to follow along and even join
in saying the words to make it an interactive experience. Additionally, the J in Joseph is
always red, while the rest of the text in yellow. This emphasizes the repetition by
bringing color to it and really childs attention to it even more.
Folk art is that which reflects the values of the aesthetic culture from the people
who are creating the art. All types of folk art are known for the bold use of color, lack of
perspective, the use of stylized pattern and simple shapes, according to Horning.
(Horning, 111) There are aspects seen throughout, Joseph had a Little Overcoat. There is
also a story told in the illustrations that are not in the text. This is something that children
will most likely not pick up on, but adults will, while reading this book. It shows many
accents of Jewish culture and background throughout the illustrations. For example, a
newspaper on the floor entitles, Yiddish New, and Rabbi from Chelm visits
Kazrilevke. Also, there are many pictures of people and posters hung on the wall in
Josephs house who are famous Yiddish icons. For example, Molly Picon was an
American- Yiddish entertainer who made Yiddish culture popular in the Unites States.
On the floor you can see a book entitled, The Jewish Philosopher, as well as a sign that
says Mosel-Tov! on the wall. In a pictures showing Joseph singing in the choir, the
men are holding music entitled, Tumbalalaika, which is a Russian Jewish folk and love
song. All of these things would not be noticeable to children, but to adults who look
closely, they will understand these things are trying to show aspects of Jewish culture. In
addition to this, there are other signs seen hanging on the walls of his house throughout
the book that relate directly to the story. For example, one says, Better to have an ugly
patch than a beautiful hole, and another one says, What one has, one doesnt want, and
what one wants, one doesnt have, which are valuable morals that relate with the overall
moral of the story.
Joseph had a Little Overcoat does not address any social justice issues. The main
point of the book is to teach the lesson that you can always, Make something out of
nothing, which is stated on the last page of the book. Similarly to John Henry, The
authors intent was to share this message based on the Yiddish folk song, I had a Little
Overcoat, that he sang as a child.
Coretta Scott King Award Minty, A Story of Young Harriet Tubman by Alan Schroeder,
Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
The Corretta Scott King award is given every year to
African American authors and illustrators who exceptioannly
portray an appreciation for African American culture and
universal human values. Minty is the story of young Harriet
Tubman, who most people are familiar with in relation to the
underground railroad. This story describes her childhood as a slave and early asperations
for escaping. Just as Pinkneys illustrations in, John Henry, the medias used are pencil,
colored pencil and water colors. This book is a fictional story of Tubmans childhood,
while the basic facts are true, scenes were created for entertainment purposes.
The text in this book is long, while simple enough for children to understand. It is
structued in paragraph form with a lot of dialog between the charectors. The pace of the
book is very successful in laying out the story in a way that keeps both child and adult
engaged. There is a good amount of detail on each page, without overloading the readers
with information. The pages flip from scene to scene, amost as if a movie would. There is
also predictability in the book. Minty, being a slave that acts out a lot gets into a lot of
trouble with the owners and ground keepers. Most of the things she does, she gets caught
for. For example, when she did not come when the master called and instead hid in the
barn with her doll, her master knew she was ignoring her, so she was punished.
Additionally, when she was instructed to gather the muskrat from the traps and instead let
them all loose, she was caught. While you can assume in most cases she will be caught,
the element of surprise is what her punsihment will be or if she will be sent away. The
surprise element is pleasing to readings and will also aid in keeping the childs attention
on the story. (Horning, 92)
The pictures in the book accuratly portray each scene layed
out in the text. Pinkneys use of watercolor depicts African
American features very well. This pictures are an example of
realism, which I think it is important because the story is describing
events that are real, while they may not have been exactly what
happened, things described in this book happened to African Ameircan children everyday
during the time of slavery. Horning, 108). Another feature Pinkey used was dominance in
his art in the red bandanna Minty wears throughout the storym which contrasts with the
Earth tones used throughout. The only other thing that is the same, bright, color red as her
bandana is the door of the home where her masters live. The red may repsresent the anger
inside of Minty because she is a slave who is continously punished and cannot yet run
away. (Horning, 101) This connects with the red on the door because the people behind
that door are the people causing her anger. This is something that a child would be able to
subconsiously recodnize because they are the two brightest things seen throughout the
book. The bandanna is also seen on Minty on every page after the first few pages of the
book. This is an example of alternation, in which the child can follow to keep them
actively engaged.
This book presents the social justice issue of rasicm. It describes how poorly
African American people were treated during the time of slavery, much more than is seen
in modern time. This book would be useful in teaching students about slavery and Hariet
Tubmann, but it does not challege or perpetuate the modern status quo because slavery,
for the most part, does not legally exist today in America.
Pura Belpr Pablo Remembers, The Fiesta of
the Day of the Dead by George Ancona
The Pura Belpre Award is awarded every
year to a Latino/a author and illustrator of a
childrens work who presents and celebrates
Latino culture in the an exceptional away.
Pablo Remembers is a non-fiction book that describes the three day event of Day of the
Dead, which is a tradition in Mexico which honors the dead, through following a young
boy and his family through their celebrations. The illustration in this book is
photography.
This text is varied throughout the book with some pages being long in text and others
only being one sentence or a few words. This does justice to the book because the
photographs work very well with the text, describing what the family is doing for the Day
of the Dead. What is also interesting about this text is that all of the Spanish words are
italicized. This shows the difference in language, which can draw the childs attention to
that word and become interested in it. It is not a word the some children reading this book
will have seen before, so this is a way for it to stand out. This also shows the element of
alternation because every page has these types of words on them, so the child will be able
to look for them throughout the story. It is also something that a child will be able to
predict coming, because after a while they know there will be new words to learn on the
following page.
All the photographs in the story
show the family carrying out tasks of the
Day of the Dead. This is a very helpful
aid for a child just learning about this
holiday because instead of just describing
what a sugar skull is, for example, they
can see an actual picture of it. Photographs are commonly used in non-fiction picture
books. (Horning, 108) I think this is more affective than drawing could be because
children reading the book can see actual children, like them, celebrating this holiday.
Aside from the photographs, there are many colors in the book seen in borders and other
accents. This is important in keeping the childs interest because they may become bored
of just looking at photographs, but the bright colors will help keep their attention on the
story. This book does not present any social justice issues because it is just describing a
traditional Mexican holiday.

Part III-
A social justice issue seen in classrooms is an unbalanced representation of cultures.
Growing up, at the end of every October, I remember every classroom decorated for
Halloween with pumpkins and witch decorations everywhere, getting candy from
teachers and watching Halloween movies. However, I do not remember leaning anything
about, el Dia de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, which starts on the same day as
Halloween. In America we celebrate Halloween, but it is important to teach students of
this similar holiday in Mexican culture as well. According to the U.S. department of
Education, over 37% of students, grades K-12, are do not practice Unites States dominant
cultural norms. (Kathy Escamilla, Sally Nathenson-Meja, 102) They are culturally,
linguistically and ethnically different. This means that over 37% may not celebrate
Halloween and may have other traditions than ours. Even though some schools do no
allow Halloween celebrations, it is important to understand this holiday to understand
Mexican culture.
The principal of critical literacy addressed in Pablo Remembers, by George
Ancona, is exploring multiple perspectives, and imagining those that are absent or
silenced. In this book, the author is explaining what the family in the book is doing for
the Day of the Dead. He gathers the thoughts and feelings from the family, which means
their perspective and voices are incorporated into the book. I accept the authors position
because he is not just writing an informative text, but following a Mexican family
throughout the three-day holiday so the readers get the total experience. The authors
voice is not heard in this text, aside from giving information, he does not say how he
feels about what the holiday or how the family is celebrating. This is good because there
is no bias shown from the author, just observation and what he has obtained from the
family.
I would use this book in teaching a lesson about Mexican culture and tradition. In
teaching this book to a class, I would read the book out loud. Next, I would have the class
discuss what traditions of the Day of the Dead they found most interesting, then invite
students who celebrate the day of the dead to share their own personal experiences. After
this, I would break the students up into three teams, each responsible for one of the three
days of the holiday- All Hallows Eve, All Saints Day and All Souls Day. Each of the
groups would be given a copy of the book to get information from. They would have to
design a poster board which explained what was done on that day and why. Each group
would hang their posters up around the room. Then the groups would be instructed to
move to a different poster. The next directions would be to write what food is prepared
on that day. The groups would switch one last time and write down the most important
vocabulary words from that section on the poster. Finally, the class would come back
together and review all the posters. This activity would involve using the entire book.
Part IV
Analyzing these books made me see picture books in a completely different way.
There is so much that goes into each picture to portray the message of the story that you
would not notice by just glancing at the pages. There is much thought given to who will
win each award every year. Three out of four of these awards are based on cultural
values, which are very important to bring into the classroom. In the future, I will bring in
these, and other books that have won these awards into my classroom when teaching
lessons on culture, because I know a board of experts has nominated them. While I will
add my own judgment as well, I know that these books are credible.
Works Cited
Ancona, George. Pablo Remembers: The Fiesta of the Day of the Dead. New York:
Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1993. Print.
"Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards." The Horn Book. World Press, 2013. Web. 30 Oct.
2013. <http://www.hbook.com/boston-globe-horn-book-awards/>.
Horning, Kathleen T. From Cover to Cover: Evaluating and Reviewing Children's Books.
New York, NY: HarperCollins, 1997. Print.
Lester, Julius. John Henry. New York: Dial, 1994. Print.
"Molly Picon." (n.d.): n. pag. IMDb. IMDb.com. Web. 30 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0682000/>.
Nathenson-Mejia, Sally, and Kelly Escamilla. "Connecting With Latino Children:
Bridging Cultural Gaps with Childrens Literature." Bilingual Research Journal
(2013): 101-16. Web. Oct.-Nov. 2013.
Schroeder, Alan. Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman. New York: Dial for Young
Readers, 1996. Print.
Taback, Simms. Joseph Had a Little Overcoat. New York: Viking, 1999. Print.
"The Coretta Scott King Book Awards." American Library Association. American
Library Assocation, n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.ala.org/emiert/cskbookawards>.
"Molly Picon." IMDb. IMDb.com. Web. 30 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0682000/>.
"Welcome to the Caldecott Medal Home Page!" American Library Association.
American Library Association, n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecottmedal
>.
"Welcome to the Pura Belpr Award Home Page!" American Library Association.
American Library Association, n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/belpremedal>.