University Essay: Text and Image Interaction in Children's Books

This essay examines the crucial relationship between text and illustrations in children's picture books, focusing on how images contribute to the narrative and enhance the reading experience. The analysis centers on three popular picture books: "And Tango Makes Three," "A Coyote Columbus Story," and "Where the Wild Things Are." The essay explores how different illustrators employ diverse artistic styles, from realism to surrealism and expressionism, to create unique reading experiences. It discusses how the illustrations not only convey the story but also add meaning, humor, and emotional depth. The comparison highlights the impact of visual communication on young readers' comprehension and engagement with the story. The essay emphasizes the importance of carefully considering both text and illustrations in children's books to maximize their impact on young readers. The essay references the works of King, Lukens, Smith, Coffel, Richardson, and Sendak.

Running Head: ENGLISH 1
Text and Image
Name of student
Name of University

ENGLISH 2
Why the Pictures Matter in A Picture Book?
Children respond to a storybook with pictures positively, not just because of the visual
appeal but explore the relationship between the words and pictures. The illustrations in a picture
book not only convey a story but also add meaning and humor. When the text and image work
together, the young readers get an idea about the setting, the characters, and the style of the story.
The paper discusses popular picture books, And Tango Makes Three, A Coyote Columbus Story
and Where the Wild Things Are, and comments on the interaction between text and image in the
three books. A comparison of the illustrations of the three books explains how different
illustrators follow different artistic styles and create different reading experiences for a child.
Today, the picture books for children are getting rewarded for their excellence is the
artistic illustration and appreciated for those graphics that hold a considerable part of the story.
The illustrations in picture books are regarded no less than an art and publishers encourage
artistic creativity in these books (Lukens, Smith, Coffel, 2020). The picture books may vary in
terms of the volumes of illustrations. While some have a few pictures scattered throughout the
story, others rely solely on the illustrations to convey the story. The picture books can vary in
terms of the volume of text and the kind of images used.
And Tango Makes Three
The story is based on two penguins Roy and Silo, who live in the Central Park Zoo. They
desire a family, and with the help of the zookeeper, they are able to complete their family by
having a baby penguin of their very own (Richardson, 2015). The children's picture book is filled
with colorful and interesting illustrations that go hand in hand with the storyline. The sense of
the pacing of the text and the pictures match well, as there is a clear illustration to highlight the
meaning and purpose of the text. The text is short enough, and it means a short reading process.

ENGLISH 3
However, as the pictures are in great detail, the reader is likely to spend more time looking at
them.
There is an emphasis on visual communication as the illustrator draws each picture with
great details. The type of art illustrated in the picture book is closely related to life, and hence it
is a realism type of art. The park scenes, the animals, the zoo are given realistic details. The
simple graphics capture a range of moods in those pastel-hued scenes. It can be assumed that the
illustrator did some research to enhance the correctness of the illustrations so as to make them
more nuanced and accurate. Those full-color and well-designed illustrations allow the book to
stand as a picture story, and the text of the storyline is as accurate in the depiction. Each and
every character, space, animals, or the background has been carefully drawn and filled with
details and colors.
The repeated pictures of the two penguins emphasize their significance as the principal
characters of the story. Children are able to understand and analyze the story without any
difficulty as the illustrations add to the meaning of what they are reading.
A Coyote Columbus Story
The Christopher Columbus story is told from an Indigenous point of view and how the
trickster Coyote creates the world and all its creatures. Coyote is in control until Columbus, the
red-haired funny-looking man, arrives and changes her world (King, 2007). The book offers a
cultural perspective to the young readers and introduces them to Christopher Columbus and
colonization.
When you look at the illustrations, they are a bit surreal. While the children are able to
make out the familiar objects and animals, they certainly look strange and mysterious because of

ENGLISH 4
the shapes and colors used by the illustrator. Children would love that kind of art and find it
more interesting.
Those interestingly illustrated characters make the story even more interesting. The
simple narrative and interesting and detailed illustrations add to the humor of the story. The
"Indians" and Coyote are seen wearing modern clothing like jeans and t-shirts. Columbus and his
companions are dressed like clowns with strange color skin and with clown noses. The artwork is
indeed bright and funny and fabricates the story with a sense of humor. While the illustrations
and text are about colonization, they manage to convey the point to the reader in a very subtle
way. The fun elements in the writing style keep pace with the illustrations.
Where the Wild Things
The naughty boy, Max, in the story, is upset because he is sent to bed early. In his sleep,
he wanders away to a land of Wild Things, where he becomes the king and can rule over
everybody. (Sendak, 2000). Although Max misbehaves, the story conveys the strong message of
parental love with subtle writing and art.
Children love this book as it allows them to escape in the world of fantasy, and the text
becomes more expressive because of the accompanying illustrations. The colorful graphics in a
world of imagination allow them to explore a wild adventure. The illustrations in the popular
children’s book are detailed and a bit unusual in those imaginative creatures and illustrations.
The giant monster characters look iconic, and although they are described as scary in the book,
the artist draws them as funny, and thus, the reader doesn’t find them that carry.
The artist not only tries to offer great details in those pictures but also expresses certain
feelings and emotions. One can see emotions of joy, fear, disbelief, anger, sadness, and more, in
different graphics and characters. The artist is more concerned about showing a certain emotion

ENGLISH 5
and personality trait though his illustrations, and thus that makes the artwork expressionist. The
reader of the book suspends his disbelief as he goes through the mysterious episodes illustrated
in the book. The text is minimal, while the focus is more on the incredible illustrations in the
book. Those images make the book adventurous and feature a joyful plot. Clearly, in this picture
book, the text is overshadowed by the visual forms and convey more than what the words say.
Comparison
When comparing the elements of text and images in the three selected works, it is evident
that the artwork in each is very different from each other. While “And Tango Makes Three” is
based on realism type of art, “A Coyote Columbus Story” uses surreal art, and in the third book”
Where the Wild Things,” one finds expressionist art. The illustrations of “And Tango Makes
Three” are realistic and motivate the reader to focus on the real environment around him. As the
description of the zoo, different animals, and the penguins are very lifelike, it is easier for him to
make a stronger connection to the storyline. In the case of “A Coyote Columbus Story,” the
surreal illustrations add more individuality to the characters and thus force the reader to look at
them differently and comprehend them from his perspective. The unique artwork of” Where the
Wild Things” make the book a bit more whimsical and enchanting to read. They create a strong,
dreamlike, mystical impression that takes the young reader to a dreamlike world.
To conclude the discussion, it is evident that the different stylistic elements of language
and illustrations across the three picture books create a different reading experience for the
children. Therefore, the various artistic styles and choices in children’s books should be chosen
carefully. The text, as well as the illustrations when planned carefully, are received with greater
enthusiasm by the young readers who love to look at those pictures and make connections with
the words to understand the story.

ENGLISH 6
References
King, T. (2007). A Coyote Columbus Story. Groundwood Books, 1(1), 1–32.
Lukens, R.J, Smith, J. J, Coffel, C. M. (2020). A Critical Handbook of Children’s Literature.
Pearson, 1(9), 1– 408.
Richardson, J. (2015). And Tango Makes Three. Little Simon; Brdbk edition, 1(1), 1– 36.
Sendak, M. (2000). Where the Wild Things. RHUK, 1(1), 1–48.