What′s in the Picture?: Responding to Illustrations in Picture Books

Illustrations are one of the most important cueing systems which children can draw on to help them make sense of print. This book covers many issues involved in using picture books: their role in early literacy
in intellectual and emotional development
their use as a learning resource
as an aid to aesthetic development
their use in extending children′
s thinking
and their role in developing reading skills.

The meanings we attribute to texts are partly determined by the culture in which we have grown up, and by factors such as race, gender and class. A theme of this book is the interaction between what readers bring to a text
their response to a text, and the multi-layers of meaning in the text itself.

What′
s in the Picture? includes contributions from leading writers in the field, as well as a unique interview with Anthony Browne, creator of Gorilla and other Browne books.