This month, The Australian Children’s Laureate, Leigh Hobbs has suggested that we focus on drawing a story.
The idea behind drawing a story is to show how much the illustrations can change how we see the story. The illustrations can give us the viewpoint of someone or something in the story or just allow us to be observers.
Illustrations can help us to feel stronger emotions or to understand what the author really means.
Illustrations play a vital role in picture books and allow us to stop and think about what we have just read, search the page for more meaning and look at how different illustrators portray ideas.
There are more great graphic novels coming out – picture book and comic style. And these types of books are a great place to start looking at how illustrations can tell a story all on thier own.
There are some wonderful ideas on the website and also an event but how can you use these ideas if you don’t have access to the books at home or at your school?
- Last week my son (3) and I sat down. He drew three pictures then put them in order and told me a story as he looked back on what he had drawn. He learnt how to sequence the story, how to start a story and how to finish it – He even managed a complication in between! It was fun, it was easy and he learnt a lot – learning doesn’t always have to be formalised when it comes to books!
- Explore Graphic novels that I have reviewed: Illegal, The arrival
- Find an image and make up your own story. Try Bronwyn Bancroft’s art
