children's books
EDCI 443
Literary Analysis
In children’s books, pictures add meaning to text. When I was a young reader, pictures were paramount to my early comprehension of text. Illustration facilitates understanding of written language by visually representing text in a way that’s meaningful to children. Kathleen’s Horning’s From cover to cover offers valuable insights on what makes a picture book meaningful for children and how to clearly analyze and criticize them. Horning explains in dreary details what elements in text and illustration is effective in captivating the attention of young audiences and concise methodology for critiquing children’s literature. By incorporating Horning’s methodology in analyzing written language and imagery in award winning books such as the Dog and Bear, Maria had A Little Llama, The Lion and the Mouse, and Nelson Mandela, one can understand why these books achieved their acclaimed status.
According to Horning (1997), words are combined with illustrations to tell a story. Horning contends that in children’s novel “texts are necessarily short” (1997, Page #106) and that children have “limits on what they can and will take in” (1997, page #106). Horning cites some key components to look for in the text of picture books when analyzing and critiquing them. Amongst those components are patterned language, rhythm, rhyme, and repetition in picture books which makes a book predicable for children. Horning states that predictability is important because it allows children to understand the concept of books having regular sequence. Predictability increases enjoyment and assist children in building vocabulary and memory skills. Lastly, Horning also argues that pace, the speed in which the story moves, is the final piece in the structure of text that assists in keeping the attention of young readers. A page that contains too much text can cause a child to get tired of the page before all the texts are attended to. All of these factors of textual
Literary Analysis
In children’s books, pictures add meaning to text. When I was a young reader, pictures were paramount to my early comprehension of text. Illustration facilitates understanding of written language by visually representing text in a way that’s meaningful to children. Kathleen’s Horning’s From cover to cover offers valuable insights on what makes a picture book meaningful for children and how to clearly analyze and criticize them. Horning explains in dreary details what elements in text and illustration is effective in captivating the attention of young audiences and concise methodology for critiquing children’s literature. By incorporating Horning’s methodology in analyzing written language and imagery in award winning books such as the Dog and Bear, Maria had A Little Llama, The Lion and the Mouse, and Nelson Mandela, one can understand why these books achieved their acclaimed status.
According to Horning (1997), words are combined with illustrations to tell a story. Horning contends that in children’s novel “texts are necessarily short” (1997, Page #106) and that children have “limits on what they can and will take in” (1997, page #106). Horning cites some key components to look for in the text of picture books when analyzing and critiquing them. Amongst those components are patterned language, rhythm, rhyme, and repetition in picture books which makes a book predicable for children. Horning states that predictability is important because it allows children to understand the concept of books having regular sequence. Predictability increases enjoyment and assist children in building vocabulary and memory skills. Lastly, Horning also argues that pace, the speed in which the story moves, is the final piece in the structure of text that assists in keeping the attention of young readers. A page that contains too much text can cause a child to get tired of the page before all the texts are attended to. All of these factors of textual