The Importance Of Illustrations In Children's Literature

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Illustrations in children's literature have important functions and complex role; that what make critic like Mable Segun argues “Illustrations are literature in their own right whether used by themselves or integrated with written texts” (Segun 3), for Segun illustrations have pictorial language that goes directly to child mind, she thinks pictorial codes better than verbal codes; pre-schools use books with images only for children, for her words make ''vague'' images in children mind (1-2). The best way to understand Segun argument is to ask what is illustration? And what is literature? In Oxford dictionary illustration is a picture or graphic form, and literature is written form or works, that conceded to be superior (Oxford Dictionary). Contrast to Segun, some critics like William Moebius and Edmund Evans believe in integration between images and texts in picturebook (Maybin and Watson 311-312). Also Seguin illustrations have a strong function, she argue that “they sharpen the perception of children” (Segun 3), Bette Goldstone argues that illustration and picturebook do not appear from a vacuum, but from complex belief system, cultural …show more content…

John Amos Comenius's Orbis Sensualium Pictus (1658) to Maria Nikolajeva was the earliest form of illustrated children's literature; because it was designed for young readers, logically, illustrated children's literature do not emerge in a vacuum, but from cultural and social need, also education and delight purposes (Nikolajeva 1). In my view sophisticated of illustrations in children literature comes from the development of both technology and

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