El arte de ilustrar libros infantiles

by Martin Salisbury, Morag Styles

Los libros ilustrados infantiles son los primeros con los que todos entramos en contacto, y suponen un sector importante, dinámico y en constante evolución dentro de la industria editorial. ¿Qué se necesita para que un libro infantil ilustrado tenga buena acogida? En este volumen no sólo se analiza la historia y la evolución del libro ilustrado, sino también todos los aspectos de este tipo de publicaciones: desde la formación hasta la interacción entre palabras e imágenes en una página, desde el uso de viejos y nuevos métodos de impresión hasta el proceso editorial y las exigencias de esta industria en el siglo xxi.

Actualmente, el libro ilustrado se define por su uso particular de imágenes secuenciales, por lo general asociadas a un pequeño número de palabras, para transmitir un significado. Al contrario que el libro ilustrado tradicional, en el que las imágenes realzan, decoran y amplifican, en el libro ilustrado actual el texto visual asume casi toda la responsabilidad narrativa.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Writing, Books About Books, Picture Books, Design, Art Design

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 30, 2012

About the author

Martin studied illustration at Maidstone College of Art (now part of the University of the Creative Arts) in the 1970s. He has worked as an illustrator and painter ever since. In recent years his work has focused mainly on the area of children’s book illustration, painting for exhibition and writing on the subject of drawing and illustration.

Martin regularly contributes to Artists & Illustrators magazine, Books for Keeps and the Journal of the Association of Illustrators. Along with colleague Wendy Coates-Smith he founded the graphic arts journal, Line which has been internationally acclaimed as an important contribution to research into illustration and drawing.

In 2004, Martin wrote Illustrating Children’s Books, a major guide to the practice and theory of the art form published by A&C Black in the UK. In 2007, Martin Salisbury was a member of the judging panel for the prestigious Bologna Ragazzi Award in Italy. The following year he joined the international jury for the CJ Picture Book Awards in Seoul.

Martin currently acts as External Examiner (BA Hons Illustration) at the University of Westminster and Southampton Solent University.

Reviews

[Barb Middleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

No wonder I can't figure out artist's techniques in picture books. It can be intaglio, screen-printing, lithography, and a long list of doodads that are oftentimes combined and infused with digital editing using Photoshop and scanners. I'm not sure how much of these techniques my brain will transfer to picture books in my library, but I'll give it a go. I need to stretch myself as a librarian and I'd like to teach students visual literacy as I do read alouds; hence, my recent gorge of professional books on illustrators. This latest morsel is a terrific introduction to the art of book illustrating with a focus on European illustrators but not exclusive to them. The book included illustrators worldwide. Some are famous. Some are newbies. Some are oldies. Some make their own books and others get subsidized by their governments. All make for an interesting read. The scholarly text has a chronological layout that gives a clear progression of the beginnings of illustrations to the present and a comprehensive index, glossary, and resource page allowing for future reference. The authors say in the introduction that their focus is visual literary and not verbal, but they cover both emphasizing the artistic side of picture books.

This is not a long book, but it took me a while to get through, because I was ordering a bunch of books by illustrators who caught my interest from examples of their works. Many of the books did not have English translations which is probably okay because I found many in spite of this bump. The authors are professors from Europe and I found I didn't know many of the illustrators being mostly familiar with American illustrators. Working in an international school makes it even more important I widen my knowledge base. I was thrilled to find a Taiwanese illustrator I didn't know about, Jimmy Liao. The chapter, Suitable For Children, covers illustrators who are pushing the boundaries of what is suitable for children. I didn't realize that some countries subsidize publishing costs to allow for more experimental books. One example of the Norwegian authors, Gro Dahle and Svein Nyhus, who create picture books for counselors to use with kids in order to discuss depression and domestic violence was unusual.

The authors cover a huge range in history from the printing press to present day eBooks. Like I said earlier, it's an introduction, and not an in-depth look into one period. Areas that are going to interest the reader can be pursued by referring to the additional resources in the back of the book or the resources referenced in the text. For instance, I want to pursue some printing processes. I kept thinking of the book, A Sick Day for Amos McGee, by Erin Stead and was wondering if she used one of the older techniques mentioned here - I want to be able to share techniques with students. I also realize I don't look closely enough at the pictures and the emotional arc of the story as displayed in illustrated characters. I focus too much on the text and if anything this exploration of children's books has been good at revealing that tendency I didn't even know I had.

Ironically, I didn't like the design of the book all that
well. I thought the flat matte and small typeset washed out the
illustration details and was hard to read. I have a preference for glossy matte with illustrations so I'm prejudiced here. Perhaps it is too expensive to make a book this way.  Also my tired old eyes strained a bit on the small typeface, but I have 50 year old eyeballs; you young eyeball readers won't have problems with it... until you turn 50. Just wait. I was also trying to read it on the elliptical machine in a poorly lit room. Perhaps I am not being fair? You decide.

Several illustrators talk about their target audience of adults and children or not targeting any audience and just being self-indulgent. Illustrator, Bjorn Rune Lie, didn't have any children in his illustrations and has littered the space with so many graphic motifs that I'm not sure how a child would react to it. Only a few reprinted pages are exhibited, but the truck stop and all the odd characters in it make for a busy picture. It reminds me of a graphic novel in some ways and a collage of letterforms in another. The unique style gives pause that makes me wonder why don't we have picture books for adults? Why does it stop after a certain age? Why can't it be like graphic novels that are enjoyed by all ages like I see here in Taiwan? The authors raise many thought-provoking questions. A good book for professional development.

[Linda Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

10 stars. I will buy this book when the coin is in my pocket. Picturebooks are not children's illustrated books. Picturebooks are a singular genre: people who make picturebooks are picturebook makers. This hybrid realm of the book arts is new and developing according to the authors. Think of Chinese iconography, where each character tells a story. Children learn about the world with pictures first, then words. In an increasingly digital world, we will learn the skills of "looking, appreciating and interpreting visual material, including its design." Just as we did when first viewing a reindeer on a cave wall. Today's picturebooks can be metafictive, wherein the book fabric and materiality contribute to the storytelling, and there are "mischievous subversions of the normal conventions." I put holds on as many of the examples shown as I could find in our library system. Although there are well-loved/known picturebook makers in the global arts, not all are translated, or available for an American audience. I was thrilled to find a plate of a book by Shaun Tan, whose "The Arrival" took our breath away when we first touched it at Everybody Reads! in Lansing, MI. With a quick thorough history of the visual arts and printing in the front of the book, this is a keeper with value for a lifetime. Be warned: the text is small. Wish it was available as a digital book, so I could read the words with ease.

[Audrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book, and I really wanted to like it, but, in the end, it simply isn't adequate as a comprehensive study of the picture book genre. At first, I thought that it simply didn't meet my research criteria. I'm researching picture books in the US. This book is by British authors, so they're bound to be coming from a different perspective. As I kept reading, though, I realized that the problem goes deeper than that. At one point, the authors describe their rationale for which books to include thus:

”The picturebooks we highlight in this volume are not these cosy ones, but those that are more risk-taking in every sense--demanding themes, sophisticated artistic styles, complex ideas and the implied notion of a reader as someone who will relish these challenges and take them in their stride, as long as the books are engaging.”

In other words, they chose books, not based on their historical importance for the genre or enduring popularity with children, but because they conformed to postmodern scholarly ideals. Presumably, it was this rationale that allowed them to leave out Dr. Suess altogether, while featuring a number of books by their own graudate students. The result is that the book presents an extremely skewed vision of the picture book, in which some of the most popular topics (folk tales, for instance) are never even mentioned.

Moreover, I found their research into child reactions to picture books highly suspect. I don't necessarily disagree with their findings: in many cases, they tally with my experience with my own students. However, the methodology is seriously flawed. As an educator, I recognized telltale signs that children were being led by the researchers. To top it all off, the studies cited in this book fall into only two categories: studies by the authors themselves and PhD dissertations by the authors' students. The possibilities for bias under those circumstances are mindboggling.

All of this brings us to a serious problem in the study of picture books. At least in America, the genre has changed so much over the last 20 years that the foundational studies published in the 1980s are hopelessly outdated. Children's Picturebooks is just about the only study recent enough to take those changes into account, but it has serious flaws. In the end, I'd say it's the best we've got at the moment, but I really hope a more comprehensive and responsibly researched book comes out very soon.

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a revised version of the 2012 book that features a history of children's picture books, interviews with popular authors and illustrators, and a very detailed look at the genre. With the vast amount of children's books out there, it would be impossible to cover all of the authors and illustrators who made an impact. Most of my favorites are not included here, even big ones. It provides a detailed, scholarly look at many though. It's a huge book and a long read. Since I haven't read the 2012 version, I'm not sure how different this one is from that one and whether it has improved on areas that reviewers criticized then. This is certainly a deep dive into the genre, with a wide variety of art styles covered and lots of color photos of children's books through the years.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very informative book that has opened my eyes about illustrating. I know I will always keep it as it has reassured me that you do not have to be able to draw everything anatomically correctly for example, and that flights of the imagination are an absolutely vital ingredient to the child's book.

Also it promotes the total need for sketchbook work where the illustrator over time can develop his own personal visual style....not that a defined style is essential but it allows artists to play on paper and that is where the joy of creativity and good ideas lie.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource. I would've liked more information about the development of children's books and picturebooks globally as well as even more international featured makers. I was also surprised Gyo Fujikawa wasn't included early on. Loved the interview with Claudia Bedrick of Enchanted Lion Books.

[Mathew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strong and accessible overview of the role of the picturebook both as an object of art, its format and purpose and its place in the classroom. Indeed, you could argue that it is seminal in its construct building that bridge, as does Jane Doonan's Looking at Pictures in Picture Books , the gap between the picturebook as a creative process and its application within the classroom.

It is a book for almost anyone with an interest in picturebooks, be it a teacher, art historian, writer or illustrator. Together, Salisbury and Styles guide us through a history of picturebooks, the process in which they are created; the role of word and image and the different approaches to which they are created. All chapters give good overviews and case studies but, I felt, were more light-touch than more of the critical theory out there by people like Nodelman and Nikolajeva.

[Sophia Filipchuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Цікаво та надихаюче про улюблених авторів та видавництва ❤️

[Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting information but was missing most of the best children’s illustrators. I almost gave it 2 stars, unfortunately.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has enhanced my understanding of picturebooks so much. It is a stunning visual treat as well as a clear and concise analysis of picturebooks, written by Martin Salisbury, a Professor of Illustration and Morag Styles, a Professor of Children’s literature. The seven chapters cover the history, practice, theory and publishing of picturebooks, intermixed with in-depth case studies. It's also reader-friendly and has an international outlook.

The chapter investigating the picturebook maker's art is particularly eye-opening. It highlights the importance of learning to see (visual literacy) and thinking through drawing, leading to the development of a personal language. Several case studies explore this process further, showing how sketching and drawing (sometimes digital) have led to personal narratives and picturebooks. Beatrice Alemagna's Un Lion A Paris (Autrement Jeunesse, 2006) probably forms the longest professional case study in the book. Her images also grace the front and back covers. Although her work is popular in Europe and East Asia, it is only just beginning to break through into the English market. The authors speculate whether this is because "Britain's longer tradition of illustration for children, with its roots in representational painting, has lead to narrower perceptions of graphic 'suitability' in picturebooks". Food for thought.

How do children interact with picturebooks? How does the child make sense of the 'readerly gap' created by the space and tension between what the words say and what the pictures show? The authors present some interesting results of a research project by Evelyn Avizpe and Morag Styles, which looked at the detailed reactions of children to a range of picturebooks. They found that although children love to be amused, they also like to be challenged, and picturebooks are vital in the early development of visual literacy.

The interplay of words and images is what makes a picturebook work. The images can fill in the gaps, reflect and expand on what is written and ideally leave room for the reader's own interpretations. Words and pictures can tell different stories and contradict each other in some way, such as in the celebrated example of Rosie's Walk (Pat Hutchins) where the unflustered hen is being pursued by an accident-prone fox not mentioned in the text. Vladimir Radunsky and Chris Raschuka's Hip Hop Dog (Harper Collins NY 2010) interweaves the rhythms of the rap with the images so the images become the rap. Marts Altes's No! (published 2011) exploits the gap in understanding between a dog and it's owner in a fun way.

What is suitable for young children? Should they be protected from all things unpleasant and dangerous, including dark traditional fairytales? Chapter five looks at the way some taboo subjects, such as domestic violence, sex, war and death, have been approached in picturebooks. Norway actually subsidises some indigenous picturebooks to enable publication. Angry Man and Mum's Hair (by Svein Nyhus and Gro Dahle 2003 and 2007, Cappelen) from Norway, look at domestic violence and depression, and were produced in response to requests by therapists for conversation-piece picturebooks. In Britain, we have The Sad Book (Micheal Rosen and Quentin Blake, Walker Books 2004) and David Mckee's The Conquerors (Anderson Press 2004) and Tusk Tusk (Anderson Press 1978). What is particularly interesting is that many smaller nations, such as Norway, value the indigenous picturebook as part of their particular cultural and artistic heritage, and provide subsidies for such books. No mention of Britain here, though.

The printing processes available at the time have traditionally dictated the artist's medium, but now any medium can be used. So why the revival in the use of printmaking processes for illustrators? Placing a technical process between the artist and the paper can produce happy accidents and lead to less self-conscious mark-making. Chapter six investigates the traditional methods of printing the way different picturebook makers use and adapt these methods today.

The book finishes on the children's publishing industry, with information about publishers, agents, contracts and the editorial process. Perhaps I should just mention that this book doesn't try to cover the technical issues of storyboarding and how the page format works in detail. This information can be found in Illustrating Books (Martin Salisbury 2004 Barrons Educational Series) and Writing With Pictures (Uri Shulevitz 1985 Watson-Guptill Publications NY).

A really excellent and thought-provoking reference book, beautifully laid-out with illustrations at almost every turn of the page, full of inspiration, practical information and fascinating insights.

[Marta · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really excellent reference book! It approaches the topic of picture books from a lot of interesting angles, all fascinating. It features a brief historical overview of the format, how different creators develop and approach their practice, how children interact with picturebooks and their development and abilities in reading and absorbing pictures, how images and words interplay, the suitability of certain topics for children and how "unsuitable" topics have been/can be presented, different printmaking processes that have been/are used to produce imagery in picturebooks and an overview of the publishing industry. The book is very well organized and the authours are able to address all these various topics in a comprehensible way. There are case studies of student and professional work throughout that are very contemporary (as of 2012), as well as a nod to how ereaders and smartphones could affect the industry. The illustrations in the book are large and beautifully reproduced. I was most impressed with how this book incorporated the theoretical or conceptual aspects of the format, especially how images and words interplay, how children respond to/absorb images they have read, etc. I was able to apply these discussions to my own art practice, even to narrative visual work outside of children's books (comics, prints, drawings, etc). These theoretical discussions are often missing from "survey" or "introduction to" books, and I think they are what elevates this book above others published on the same subject.

[Joff! · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've used this book for an English assignment, but aside from using it for academic purposes, it really is a lovely book to pick up and have a read of full stop. It takes you through the history and development of picture books, looks at specific picture books on specific themes and case studies on certain artists/authors. Pretty much everything you need to know about the 'art' of the picture book.

[Hazel · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a mini review visit: https://hazelstainer.wordpress.com/20...

[Chris Browning · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used to work at a higher education college who specialised in teacher training and particularly in the use of picture books in the classroom. In fact, when I started the only other librarian at my level was the children’s librarian, so did I pick her mind about the genre? Not for a moment, because for some mad reason I wasn’t even slightly interested in picture books at all. In fact I only became interested in comics about half way through my time in Lincoln, and was only just pondering mini comics when I left to get married and move up north

I suspect the moment I began to seriously think about picture books was when I worked at MMU, as I was becoming more interested in illustration and the visual arts during my time there and that obviously included their special collections and picture books. But even then, I think it took me finding a copy of one of James Marshall’s George and Martha books to tip me over the edge. I immediately adored the big hearted warmth of the art and storytelling and began to slowly plunge into the world, but this time as someone who was making his own comics and starting doing visual storytelling

Weirdly, the fascination of picture books has become and almost desperate desire to make them in a way that parallels my desire to leave Lincoln. I know this is all autobiographical guff, but by the end of my four years in that city the need to leave was almost a tangible thing. And at the moment the need to somehow knock my art skills a bit more in the direction of doing *something* with telling stories through images beyond comics has become a real sense of a desperate need.

The problem is, I’m self taught. My schooling probably was the best for me in terms of an undiagnosed aspergic kid, but the ten years of solid bullying from the same people has knocked out a lot of self worth and any desire to do art at school was quickly rebuffed because I liked the wrong kind of art. think at heart I am and always will be an illustrator, not an artist - a small distinction but I think an important one because I think of art as one of two ways to tell a story, together with language. That stems from my background in studying film - image and language, inexorably linked and everything that works as art comes from some tension of the two

But because I am self taught and am without even a GCSE in art to my name, I have - to put it mildly - the worst case of imposter syndrome and the march to making picture books sometimes seems impossibly steep. How do I get from knocking out amusing self published comics to something bigger? The journey seems impossible

Well thanks to these books maybe it’s not. The 100 Greatest Children’s Picturebooks is a book I have had for several years and love deeply. I have used it as a shopping list and as a way of navigating my interests in the genre. It’s a big and beautiful book and full of ideas and love for the world. But read alongside Salisbury’s book with Morag Styles, Children’s Picturebooks, it’s like the destination where the other book is the guide to how to get there

It’s a beautiful book - the Styles/ Salisbury one, to clarify - that gives a more focused guide to the world of picture books, but also looks at the history, themes and artistic approaches to the genre. It also goes into quite a lot of detail about child development (and yes, part of me is kicking myself I didn’t pay more attention all those years ago but part of me is also grateful that names like Piaget have a resonance still). It’s a précis of a whole world of scholarship and never really a guide of how to make these books, but somehow for all that it’s also the most useful book on potentially realising my dream that I’ve yet read

In case I was in any doubt about the power of this book, about two thirds of the way through I suddenly had a very vivid idea for a new project. One I will no doubt squirrel away, but it just sort of burst into my head like all the best ideas do. I’d like to think that this book making my dream feel a lot less impossible, and telling me more about the directions I should work towards, helped with that. Certainly it’s a book that I suspect will have a huge impact on me in the months and hopefully years to come

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Children's Picturebooks: The Art of Visual Storytelling is a survey text covering the history and development of juvenile graphic literature from the 15th century onward. Originally published in 2012, this second edition is due out 7th Jan from Laurence King. It's 200 pages and will be available in paperback format.

This is a comprehensive overview, lushly illustrated and well written. The layout is logical and appealing. It's slanted toward the educator/historian, but the language is not overly academic and it's perfectly accessible to layman readers. The chapters are arranged thematically: history, illustration, children's books and children, iconography (an unusually well written coverage of the subject with a lot of good information about the interplay of words and images to tell a story), age-appropriate themes in children's literature (death, sex, violence, etc), print and process, non-fiction, and the juvenile publishing industry. Scattered throughout the book are also short case studies and references along with essays by industry professionals, educators, and artists.

There are numerous references and annotations as well as abundant illustrations from children's literature both historical and modern. This would be a valuable reference for academics, authors, and educators learning what is effective in terms of story and illustration and why they work. The annotations (with internet links, books, and periodicals) and index are comprehensive and full of sources for further reading. This would be a superlative textbook for a classroom setting for teacher training as well as a valuable resource for working teachers and librarians to mine for book recommendations for their young students and patrons.

Building a lifelong love of reading is such an important responsibility for teachers and parents and being able to make an informed decision about books is vital. I found the 5th chapter on the suitability of certain subjects as they relate to children's books very enlightening for me especially (since I was never forbidden any books that caught my fancy at the public library as a child - including a huge library copy of Gray's Anatomy which led to months of questions from me to my sainted parents and teachers), but the entire book is full of good information.

I don't have the first edition for comparison purposes, so I can't speak to the differences between the 1st and 2nd, but the 2nd edition is attractively and well formatted. I received an electronic ARC for review purposes, so considerations about the physical volume are beyond the scope of this review. I can say that my experience of the publisher's other books' quality has been consistently positive.

Five stars

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Juneko Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a deeply thoughtful book that considers children's book illustration from a number of different angles. I especially enjoyed the discussion of scholarly and theoretical approaches to understanding what makes for a compelling picture book. Illustrations do not merely depict what's been written. Rather they add depth to the text by depicting the subject in a manner that provides additional information that is not explicitly conveyed in the text and vice versa. Although the book is filled with gorgeous and entertaining eye candy, its references to historically important and artistically notable books from the UK and other countries such as Italy, Spain, Belgium, and Russia, as well as scholarly studies of picture books and children's literature that I was unfamiliar with is especially exciting and has left me determined to seek them out so I can plumb their depths and, hopefully, ascertain the secrets to their success. Overall, this outstanding book written by two professors who are clearly passionate about their field, is both an inspiring and a fascinating read ...so much so, that I'll be purchasing a copy for my library so that I might refer to it again and again.

[Darya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Дуже класна розвідка про книжки-картинки, яка написана достатньо цікаво і для академічної, і для популярної аудиторії. Найцінніше для мене було те, що вона підходить до питання більше з мистецької точки зору - і це цінне доповнення до тих розвідок про книжки-картинки, які до них підходять більше з літературознавчої (на які я натрапила першим ділом, адже і я до всього питання підходжу з літературознавчого бекґраунду).

Тут є і коротка історія становлення жанру у сучасному вигляді, і огляд мистецьких технік, які найчастіше використовують для створення і друку книжок-картинок, і аналіз питання про стратегії співіснування візуального і текстуального компонентів, і екскурс у функціонування книговидавництва для дітей, зокрема книжок-картинок. І все це з великою кількістю візуальних прикладів, яких мені сильно бракує в обговореннях книжок-картинок в літературних контекстах. Інший дуже цінний фокус - це підкріплення тем кейсами того, як працює конкретний ілюстратор чи творець книжок-картинок, як він дійшов до тих мистецьких рішень, якими його книжки вирізняються. (Ілюстратор - це той, хто співпрацює з окремим автором текстової частини, а творцем (maker), значить, автори називають того, хто одноосібно виконує обидві ролі).

Я читала бібліотечну електронку в англійському оригіналі, але помітила, що цього (2024) року виходить (вийшла? вийде?) українською в Arthus.

[Despina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Αυτό δεν είναι βιβλίο, είναι η βίβλος του παιδικού εικονογραφημένου. Το λάτρεψα.

Από την ιστορία των πρώτων βιβλίων ως τα πιο σύγχρονα, από την δημιουργία ως την έκδοση και την αλληλεπίδραση με το παιδί.

Θα βρεις μέσα συνεντεύξεις από γνωστούς και γνωστές εικονογράφους, θα κατανοήσεις την μαγεία του οπτικού γραμματισμού, θα εκτιμήσεις τα silent books και την δύναμη της φαντασίας.

Όσο διαβάζω παρέα με παιδιά εικονογραφημένα βιβλία τόσο συνειδητοποιώ πως χτίζουν μια βάση για την γλώσσα αλλά και την αισθητική του παιδιού. Μια γερή βάση για την ενδυνάμωσή του. Δίνουν ερεθίσματα για την κατανόηση της πραγματικότητας αλλά και για την σκέψη μιας άλλης, καλύτερης εκδοχής της. Σ ‘ αυτό βάζει το χεράκι της η φαντασία που όπως έλεγε ο αγαπημένος μου Τζιάνι Ροντάρι είναι απελευθερωτική. Δεν σκοπεύει σε «κενές φαντασιοπληξίες» ούτε στη συγκάλυψη ή την ωραιοποίηση της πραγματικότητας. Η φαντασία μπορεί να βοηθήσει τα παιδιά να κατανοήσουν τον εαυτό τους,την ιστορία τους, τα θέλω τους.

Πολύ πολύ μου άρεσε αυτό το βιβλίο.
Έμπνευση.

[Debora Mini · Rating 4 out of 5]

É um livro muito informativo sobre a história e evolução do livro infantil. Acredito que terei que ler várias vezes para todas as informações serem absorvidas, confesso que a leitura foi lenta. Será uma ótima fonte de consulta, ainda quero pegar a lista final de sites e explorar um por um.

Só achei que poderia falar um pouco mais de narrativa visual ou aplicar mais exemplos nos estudos de caso, queria ver mais das obras faladas já que algumas não tenho acesso para ler fora dali.

No geral, foi uma leitura tranquila, as informações são dispostas de forma clara e interessante, mas não muito aprofundado. Apresentado vários livros e autores que eu agora quero acompanhar mais. Um ótimo livro para entender melhor como funciona o mercado e como se da o pensar sobre o livro ilustrado pelo viés dos autores britânicos. Senti falta de uma abrangência maior em certos casos, mas também o livro não se propõe a isso.

[Elizabeth Grieve · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an aspiring childrens' book author, I was most interested to receive this review copy. The content was somewhat academic, and the most interesting parts for me were the descriptions of various methods used in printing, and the final chapter about the publishing industry. I thought the range of books covered was not what I'd expected, with many popular and successful authors not being mentioned at all. I guess a topic such as this is open to many interpretations and opinions.
Thank you to the publisher for a review copy.

[Cindi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely interesting but not completely attainable for a wide audience. This was recommended reading for anyone wanting to be a children’s book illustrator and I can see why on one hand but quite frankly I don’t know if it is inspiring or intimidating. I’m going with the latter. I feel like even if I work so hard I’ll never be able to compete with those that have studied and practiced art much longer and more intensely than I have. I wish this was a more inspiring book for emerging artists but that is a very small group I guess.

[April Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is more a scholarly text than a layman's book, and reads as such. It feels more geared toward professionals, i.e. illustrators, graphic designers, educators, etc, than someone like me who just enjoys children's picture books, but it's definitely informative and will teach the reader a lot about the publishing aspect and history of picture books. I feel like prospective children's picture book authors/illustrators will find this book very useful.

[Scott Andrews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very nice. Some of the selections are a bit too trippy for my tastes. And why no Bill Peet?

All of the printing processes are interesting.

The Related Reading and Browsing section at the end was well done.

Impressions:
* Librarians should read this book.
* K-6 educators and home schoolers should read this book.
* Visual design and fine artists should be familiar with the picture book as a viable medium of expression.

And, that is that.

Good work overall.

[Annie Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me almost a whole year to read this because it is so rich and scholarly, but it is also a wonderfully thorough survey of the landscape of picture books.

Just a few of the topics this book covers:
-History of the genre
-Artistic processes
-Narrative/visual storytelling
-Children’s psychological responses to picture books
-Non-Fiction picture books
-The picture book market/industry
-The future of picture books

[Audrey Sauble · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting look at the history of picture books, the themes, the media, and the range of styles that illustrators have used over time. It’s not really a guide or manual for creating illustrations, and it doesn’t cover the current market, but it’s a useful tool for getting a broad overview of the genre.

[Andreea · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book that convinced and helped me to feel knowledgeable enough to go to illustration school! Just finished readingvitva a second time now that I am finishing my studies. But really anyone could read it, you don't have to be an expert. Not only is the text captivating, but the design and layout of the book itself is stunning!

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a brief history of children's picture books followed by a discussion of what makes a great picture book. There are many examples, lots of pictures and some wisdom from picture book authors/artists.

[Hanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fascinating book that looks at different aspects of picture books. It was significantly more academic than I was initially expecting. I learned about many new-to-me authors and illustrators that I will be looking into.

[Maeve · Rating 3 out of 5]

The history of children's picture books; an exploration of production, artists, styles, and forms; and a look at how picture books serve children.

For the children's librarian who wants a deep dive in picture books.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting look at the past, present, and future of picturebooks.