Thinking about Picture Books—A Checklist of Questions

English 305

Dr. Roggenkamp

I.                   Characterization

a.      Does the book present characters with whom the reader can identify?

b.      If characters are non-human (e.g. animal, inanimate), is this non-humanity essentially compatible with ordinary human values, or does it feel “wrong” somehow?

c.       Are the characters dynamic?  That is, do they change over the course of the book in terms of self-awareness, self-reliance, tolerance of others, etc.?  Or are the characters static (unchanging)?

II.               Stereotyping

a.      Does the book avoid stereotyped views of race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, creed, class, etc.?

b.      Where stereotyped views are present, are these balanced by alternative views (e.g. not all the “foreigners” are shown as bad, untrustworthy, stupid, etc.)?

c.       Where unbalanced stereotypes are present, can they be fairly accepted, given the prevailing ideas of culture within the author’s historical context?

III.            Style—Print Narrative

a.      What words would you use to describe the writing style of the book (e.g. simplistic, rich, descriptive, imagistic, etc.)

b.      Is the prose style appropriate for the intended and actual audience?

c.       Are there special stylistic qualities that raise the language above a simplistic retelling of successive events, plain description of character, and everyday use of language?

d.      Are clichés avoided in language, character, and incident? 

e.      Does the action of the book move forward smoothly?

f.        What seems to be the climactic point of the book, if you can identify one?  How does the author build to this climax

g.      Does the narrative resolve all the issues it presents, or are “loose ends” left for the reader to resolve on his or her own?

h.      What point of view is the story told from?

i.        How does the narrative depict the story’s setting?
 

IV.             Style—Pictorial Narrative

a.      How much actual storytelling is done by the words, and how much by the illustrations?  What’s the balance between the two?

b.      What can you say about the illustration style?

c.       What is the medium used (e.g. watercolor, oils, collage, pen-and-ink, etc.), and how might the medium be suitable for the story being told?

d.      What is the mood of the illustration?  How does it contradict, complicate, or complete the mood of the written narrative?

e.      Is the illustration essentially mimetic (realistic, literal) or non-mimetic (abstract, symbolic, representative)?

f.        How are the illustrations shaped and formed?  Are they “framed?”  Do they “bleed” over the edges of the pages?

g.      How saturated/deep are the colors being used, and how might that affect the story?

h.      How detailed—or un-detailed—are the pictures, and why might that be important?

V.                 Intertextuality

a.      Do the pictures and text go together in some essential way?  Can you read both pictures and text as partial narratives that comment upon one another and together create a whole narrative?

b.      Do the pictures provide information/images that were not provided in the printed part of the text?

c.       Do the pictures and text seem “in conflict” with one another?  Is this tension intentional, or does it seem flawed?

VI.             Paratexts

a.      How do such elements as the title, typeface, font, endpapers, book size, and cover affect the reading and meaning of the text?

b.      How does the “feel” of the book affect your reading of it—that is, quite literally, the feel of the paper itself, the weight of the book, its size and shape, the way the letters look to the eye, etc.?

c.       Is the orientation of the book important?  That is, is the book more “horizontal” or “vertical” in layout (“letter” style vs. “landscape” style)?

d.      Does the cover of the book, with all its pictorial and verbal elements, further the meaning of the book?  Contradict what happens inside?  Is the cover art repeated in the book, or is it a picture that appears uniquely on the cover?

e.      Are the endpapers decorated or designed in some way, or are they white/solid colored?  If decorated, illustrated, or designed, how does that add to the book?