ILLUSTRATION FEATURE The Lure of Children's Books in the time of Coronavirus
Alison Padley-Woods takes a look at how the world of children's books is stepping up to the challenge of the current situation.
‘Strange times!’ Two words on everyone’s lips. Two
words that conjure up images of overstretched hospitals, quiet streets, empty
classrooms, nurses, doctors and rainbows. During the pandemic, words and
pictures entwine at every turn; telling tales of bravery, resilience,
self-sacrifice and determination. Such attributes we readily assign to heroes
and heroines in books, but this we know isn’t fiction.
Children’s authors and illustrators are however
doing their bit to help find a way through. And at a time when schools are closed,
when children are at home and parents are feeling the combined pressure of
home-schooling and working from home, it’s no wonder illustrated books and picture
books for kids are topping the Amazon best-sellers list.
Titles such as Slime by David Walliams,
illustrated by Tony Ross; The Boy, the mole, the fox and the Horse by
Charlie Mackesy; and a variety of Easy Learners published by Collins are
jumping to the rescue. They offer support, guidance and escapism, and tell us
that this is still a world full of humour, learning and hope.
David Walliams, Slime, illustrated by Tony Ross (HarperCollins) |
So, what is the attraction and why does the combination of words and pictures work so well? Firstly, with such a focus on shared learning, picture books offer parents an invaluable opportunity to focus on the visual as well at the verbal literacy skills children need. Children absorb information visually, and for a concept to sink in, many children need to see it, or visualise it.
In light of this, picture books about COVID-19 are
springing up. Axel Scheffler, illustrator of The Gruffalo, has just
produced Coronavirus – A Book for Children, teaming up with consultant Professor Graham Medley, two head
teachers and a psychologist to answer questions about quarantine, how you catch
the virus and what happens if you get ill.
Axel Scheffler, Coronavirus, (Nosy Crow) |
The book is free to download
using this link. Publishers Nosy Crow have asked for donations in lieu
of payment to go to our amazing health workers: www.nhscharitiestogether.co.uk/.
Picture books get to the heart of concepts and ideas,
but it’s important to remember that even challenging subjects should remain fun
and hopeful in order to unlock the imagination and lure the reader in. The subtle
relationship between words and pictures ensures this. Authors often aim to tell
the story in as few words as possible, whilst the images tell the part of the story the words don't. They
enlarge its reference, sometimes provoking ideas the author never expected. Perhaps this is because children linger over illustrations, spot clues and details that adults often take for
granted. Through pictures of mice, animals and monsters, they see what emotions
look like; emotions such as fear, anger and love as in Maurice Sendak’s classic
Where the Wild Things Are.
Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Things Are (Harper Collins) |
But it’s not just emotions that are visualised. In Tony Ross’s book I Don’t Want to Wash My Hands, germs we’re told are ‘scarier than crocodiles’. The picture creates a springboard for the imagination, and with hand-washing so important right now, it’s no surprise to discover the book, first published in 2001, is having a second life. According to the Guardian, sales of the book soared by 2000% in February and March – so quickly that Andersen Press are doing a speedy reprint.
Tony Ross, I Don't Want to Wash My Hands, (Andersen Press) |
Jeffers’ scarcity of language and charming crayon and watercolour
pictures, characterised by stick leg characters, appeal to readers of all ages.
And now you can watch Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth, a
short film based on Jeffers’ book of the same name, released this April on Apple TV+ to coincide with the
50th Anniversary of Earth Day.
Apple TV+, Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth (2020) |
Sharing stories, in whatever form with children offers
parents the chance to read again as a child – to revisit the realms of
discovery and reel back the years to when the world was big and mysterious with
everything to learn. Children’s
illustrated books can open up new perspectives for adults, because many
children’s books operate on two levels with the story and plot on one hand and then
what the story is really about – the emotional journey – on the other. Perhaps this
is why many books we read as children remain special to us in adulthood. After
all, picture books are often the first artwork we see
and can be a first step towards appreciating art and the stories which pictures
can encompass. They form an intricate part of the puzzle of
who we become as adults, helping us to imagine possibilities and places.
Of course, the special magic that trips so easily through the pages of
story books is no coincidence. Small children may not
think of characters or settings as being invented, nor see the creative process,
yet behind apparently spontaneous images lie deep thought and hard labour. Decisions about colour, layout and where the text
falls are just a few of the considerations when it comes to how illustrators
want readers to react, and how they achieve that through their drawing. You can
read more about how planning images and layout play a part in John Shelley’s
article, Picture Books Basics, found at the following link:
In whichever way stories are shared,
words and pictures entwine to cast a combined spell over children and adults
alike. Right now, when coronavirus is changing everything, when
parents and children are learning together more than ever before, we should
take positives and remember that ultimately, picture books speak of hope, optimism and of coming through
this together.
Axel Scheffler, Coronavirus, (Nosy Crow) |
Header image: The Boy, the mole, the fox and the Horse by
Charlie Mackesy,
published by Ebury Press
Alison Padley-Woods is Words & Pictures' Deputy Illustration Features Editor. Alison used to work for Condé Nast’s Brides magazine. She now writes middle grade fiction and picture books and has been shortlisted and longlisted for several prizes including The Times/Chicken House Competition, Bath Children’s Novel Award and Writing Magazine’s Picture Book Prize.
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