It is far harder than one expects to write and illustrate for children. My work tries to engage children on a level that is stimulating to their senses.
Last month I did a research project and exhibition with Quentin Blake which aimed to find out what children respond best to in stories. Quentin taught me a lot about the way children picture themselves in the stories, notice small details in pictures and also respond to realistic and honest works. They want to see themselves as the main character and second guess the storyline. A good story is also something to be revisited; a child will remember and anticipate favourite twists, speech and images. A child can also be highly critical, the implausible will be pointed out, questions and disappointments will be voiced.
Even with the greatest picture books and illustrations, the storyline is the part that most engages the child, especially when it stimulates the imagination and reflection on real life. So without a well thought out narrative, the next chapter won’t be touched and book cast aside. A good story can stay with someone and influence attitudes and behavior over a lifetime, and the book itself can be read time again, and also passed on.
Quentin Blake’s book Zagazoo, both written and illustrated by him is an extremely humorous book about a baby who develops into all sorts of amazing creatures as it grows. It works as a metaphor for how people become needy, emotional and then demanding. Children can laugh at the absurd illustrations of an animal taking the place of a growing person and adults are entertained by the extreme situation the parents find themselves in. The strength of the narrative will grow on the person over a lifetime, as the perspective on life changes.
Matthew Dale /MA Communications, Year One
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