Children's Literature: Analyzing Postmodern Picture Books and Texts

This essay delves into the realm of postmodern picture books, analyzing their defining characteristics and providing a comprehensive overview of their literary significance. It begins by defining postmodernism and its impact on children's literature, highlighting key features such as meta-fiction, intertextuality, non-linearity, and multiple narratives. The essay then focuses on the picture book "Voices in the Park" by Anthony Browne as a prime example of a postmodern text. It examines how Browne utilizes content, pictures, and parody to create a work rich in intertextuality, symbolic representation, and multiple perspectives. The essay also discusses the book's use of different voices to explore themes of social status, race, and freedom, demonstrating how postmodern picture books challenge traditional narrative structures and engage readers in a deeper level of interpretation. The analysis draws on various scholarly sources to support its claims, providing a thorough understanding of the subject matter. The essay concludes by emphasizing the importance of postmodern picture books in children's literature and their ability to encourage critical thinking and engagement with complex themes.

Postmodern picture books
Recently there has been a set pattern towards a specific sort of picture books that
many would call 'postmodern'. Postmodernism, according to Bette Goldstone(
Goldstone & Labbo,2004), is a term used to denote basic changes in attitudes, style
and academic thinking that was found in culture of western countries during the
second half of twentieth century. It replaces the erstwhile philosophies, movements
and artistic traditions with fragmentation and anti-authoritarianism. The key features
of a postmodern picture book contains a collection of meta-fictional items (Serafini,
2005) including intertextual references (intertextuality), self-reference text, non-
linearity, polyphonic narrators, a sarcastic way of presentation, parody, mixing of
genres, indeterminate plot, characters and settings (Sipe and Pantaleo, 2008).
Although not all of these features are available in all the post-modern picture
books, these books often do not follow linearity. They are self-referring and have a
sarcastic flavour. They expect the reader to find the true meaning after reading those
books. There are gaps or ambiguities in some of the books, they may have changing
attitudes and multiple narratives (Wu, 2014).
Reviewing the picture book “Voices in the Park, by Anthony Browne” represent
the use of content, pictures, and parody; additionally, it is a genuine masterpiece of
intertextuality. This book is an example of non-linearity, symbolic representation,
multiple narratives, indeterminacy and typographic experimentation (Serafini, 2005).
Intertextuality used in this picture book is described in four different voices. They are
utilized to emphasize different character's perspectives that explore social status, race,
age, gender, unemployment, poverty, freedom or lack of freedom. This book though
written long back contains all the ingredients of a postmodern picture book.

References
Goldstone, B. P., & Labbo, L. D. (2004). The postmodern picture book: A new
subgenre. Language Arts, 81(3), 196.
Serafini, F. (2005). Voices in the park, voices in the classroom: Readers responding to
postmodern picture books. Reading Research And
Instruction, 44(3), 47-64. doi: 10.1080/19388070509558431
Sipe, L., & Pantaleo, S. (2008). Postmodern picturebooks. London: Routledge.
Wu, S. (2014). Negotiation of Narratives in Postmodern Picture Book. Theory And Practice
In Language Studies, 4(4). doi: 10.4304/tpls.4.4.806-810