- Vincent Van Gogh
A talented children’s author can find just the right blend of text and visual depiction. Today, I would like to describe a few picture books that intrigued me recently with their fusion of story and illustration.
The first is a quippy little book entitled Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! written and illustrated by Mo Willems. At first, I was surprised that this simple book received a Caldecott Honor award in 2004, but upon further inspection I observed the modest wit that makes the book so fun for the reader. This picture book tells the brief tale of a pigeon who desperately wants to drive a bus and attempts to convince the reader to grant him permission to do so while the bus driver is away. By far, the most intriguing aspect of the quaint book is the perpetual breaking down of the fourth wall between the book’s characters and the reader. The reader is invited to be a full participant in the story. Without the reader’s involvement, the story does not make sense. This begins with the driver asking the reader to watch things for him while he’s gone. He warns the reader not to let the pigeon drive the bus! What I love even more about this warning is that it takes place before the regular book pages begin! The driver’s request and warning are built into the title page, thus increasing the suspense and interest of the reader.
The minimalistic color choices combined with the broad inviting speech bubbles make for an approachable reading experience. The pigeon becomes more expressive as its requests become sillier. The pictures change in shape and size to keep from monotony, especially at the climax of the story when the pigeon’s frenzy takes the entire page. My favorite page is the penultimate persuasion where the pigeon’s remarks are blocked into eight differently colored squares. I greatly recommend this picture book though it would not count as a picture story book per say. The book is fiction, the pictures create a certain mood, the pictures are consistent with the text, the artist uses color in a clever way, but there is not the important element of something of significance being said to the child. However, it does allow the child to yell, “No!” a lot which is something children love to do.
“The righteous are bold as a lion.”
- Proverbs 28:1
My next book is Lizzy the Lioness written by Lisa Bevere and illustrated by Kirsteen Harris-Jones. This sweet fictional tale tells the story of “busy Lizzy, the littlest lion” who wants to be big and brave like the other lions. After making friends with a little human girl, Lizzy discovers that courage isn’t just being big, it is being wise enough to know what’s the right thing to do. When Lizzy sees her friend being attacked by baboons, she really hates being little but realizes, “Even though Lizzy was too little to fight the baboons, she wasn’t too little to ask for help.” She runs to her camp for help, the adult lions run the baboons off, and Lizzy’s parents praise her for her bravery. Her mother reminds Lizzy that, “sometimes the bravest thing you can do is to ask for help.”
Through the narrative and pictures, this picture story book teaches children that being small does not mean they can’t be brave and that sometimes the wisest and bravest thing to do is to ask for help. Even if a child can not yet read, they should be able to follow Lizzy’s story from the illustrations that create the fun-loving and energetic mood of Lizzy herself. The pictures show Lizzy’s character developing silly in her restlessness, pouty in her self-pity, fearful of how to handle difficulty situations, and finally determined in doing the right thing. The reader is kept interested in following the pictures as they change from little minute scenes throughout the page to half-page and whole-page scenes. The more significant the moment, the larger the scene’s picture is on the page. The book jacket shows a happy, leaping Lizzy and the end papers show serene landscapes of Lizzy’s home. The book is full of color and excitement in the illustrations and even the text. I highly recommend this picture story book to parents and teachers of young readers, especially with due to the hints of biblical values within the story.
“The only thing dragons love more than parties of tacos, is taco parties.”
- Dragons Love Tacos
Finally, let’s look at a recent favorite in the elementary education community, New York Times bestseller Dragons Love Tacos written by Adam Rubin and illustrated by Daniel Salmieri. Though the picture book does not say anything of particular significance to a child, other than perhaps to read the fine print on labels, it is still a thoroughly enjoyable read for all ages. The text is humorous, and the illustrations keep the story from becoming repetitive. Even children who can only use the pictures to decipher the story would still be engaged. The pictures are very consistent with the text even in little details. For example, in the full-page image where the author warns the boy to “bury the spicy salsa in the backyard so the dragons can’t find it,” the boy is off in the back corner with his dog burying the salsa as the dragons line up at the front door of the house. The end pages are full of little tacos, and the dragons are shown in all different shapes, sizes, and colors throughout the book. The boy’s party goes into chaos when the hidden jalapeño peppers cause a torrent of dragon fire-breathing, but the lovable dragons help him rebuild the house. Like Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! the only element missing from the picture story book criteria is something of significance being told to the child in the story. Because of course it is fictional that dragons love tacos. Or is it?
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