Words and Pictures in Picture Books

Most picture books combine pictures and words to make stories more understandable, fascinating, and memorable. Without pictures, the true meaning of a text may be lost. Equally, without words, the true meaning of a picture may be missed. Indeed, Perry Nodelman notes that "words without pictures can be vague and incomplete, incommunicative about important visual information." At the same time, "pictures without words can be vague and incomplete, lacking the focus, the temporal relationships, and the internal significance so easily communicated by words" (10). With examples, this essay explains how words and pictures complement each other in picture books, and why the interaction between the two is important for the development of reading comprehension.

A popular adage says pictures speak more than a thousand words. It is true that pictures communicate information in a way words may not. Nodelman posits that pictures support and complete the meaning of text, and carry a great deal of visual significance. Due to its visual character, a picture often contains more information than the text that accompanies it. Indeed, as noted by Zhihui Fang, pictures serve as illustrations for written text. They expand and interpret the text in a way the text may not achieve on its own. They add clarity to the context of a story -- its historical background, temporal attributes, as well as its mood and symbolic meaning. For instance, pictures can illustrate medieval cultures and events in a way words cannot. A picture does not just say something happened; it demonstrates that it happened. This helps form a more permanent representation of the story in the reader's mind.

In Outside Over There, Ellen Duthie narrates the story of Ida, an 8- to 10-year-old girl who watches over her sister while her parents are away. Ida is, however, inattentive to the baby, giving goblins an opportunity to kidnap the baby. She then engages in a mission to rescue her sister. Certainly, this is an ordeal filled with emotions. Ida encounters a great deal of sadness and sorrow when her sister is kidnapped. Also, she bravely enters the caves to save the baby from the goblins. Her braveness results in successfully taking her sister back home. Without visual illustrations, these emotions can only be imagined, if at all they would. When one watches a video of the same story or views some pictorial illustrations, the ordeal for Ida becomes clearer. Ida can be seen in deep grief when she discovers her sister is missing. She is also overwhelmed by joy when she successfully retrieves her sister from the goblins. The illustrations depict her lifting and carrying her sister cheerfully. The pictures make the story more fascinating, understandable, and relatable.

The importance of pictures in picture books is further demonstrated in van Allsburg's The Garden of Abdul Gasazi. In this story, Miss Hester entrusts her neighbour Alan Mitz, a little boy to look after her dog Fritz. Everything goes well throughout the morning, but an afternoon walk ends in Alan and Fritz in the house of retired magician Abdul Gasazi. The magician tricks Alan into believing that the dog turned into a duck, only for Alan to find the dog in Miss Hester's house once he returns from Gasazi's house. Narrating this story without pictures may not generate the same meaning and understanding of the trials and tribulations involved, if narrated only in words. Pictures help illustrate the close relationship between Alan and the dog, his fascination for the afternoon walk, his curiosity on noticing a warning that dogs are not allowed into Gasazi's garden, and his determination to stop the adamant Fritz from entering the garden. The pictures also show the scenic appearance of Gasazi's house, Alan's remorsefulness for Fritz's entry into the garden, Gasazi's dislike for dogs, Alan's sadness when he is unable to find Fritz, and the little boy's feeling of silliness when he discovers Gasazi tricked him. Without pictures, the reader may not effectively capture Alan's encounter and the emotions it elicited.

Pictures, according to Fang, are also important for defining and developing characters. Every character in a story possesses certain characteristics, which attract the attention of the reader. Often, it may not be feasible for a story teller to mention all the details of characters. With pictures, however, the storyteller can use lesser words to depict a story, while at the same time adding life to the story. The story teller can use illustrations to depict the traits of the characters and their emotions in a manner that is fascinating to the reader. As a result, the reader can more effectively identify with character. In Duthie's Outside Over There, Ida is depicted as a brave girl who saves her kidnapped sister. The video illustrates this trait in a way words alone cannot. The pictures provide a more realistic account of the ordeal, from the time the baby is kidnapped until Ida saves it, helping the viewer get a better sense of her bravery and responsibility. The same effect is achieved in the The Garden of Abdul Gasazi, where pictures are used to depict Alan's responsibility for Miss Hester's dog.

Whereas a picture may speak more than a thousand words, the text remains equally important. Indeed, a picture without words cannot be described as complete. As put by Nodelman, such a picture may not relay any information of value or interest to the reader. Without words, the context of events depicted in a picture may not be properly understood. Words tell what is happening in a picture as well as when, how, why, and/or where it happened. It is through words that the value of a picture is understood. Words communicate to the reader why a picture deserves attention. According to Nodelman, words provide a cognitive map that can be applied to inherently ambiguous pictures so as to get the true meaning of the pictures. In essence, a picture can only speak more than a thousand words if it includes text depicting the context in which it was set.

The value of words comes out clearly in van Allsburg's The Garden of Abdul Gasazi. One of the pictures shows a dog running down a staircase and a little boy falling down. By itself, a reader may not correctly understand what is happening in the picture. The reader may not understand the connection between the boy and the dog, why the dog was running, or why the boy fell down. The text accompanying the picture corrects the initial understanding the reader may have about the picture. The words help the reader understand the context of the event. The reader understands that the little boy is Alan, and that he falls down while trying to stop the dog from making its way into Gasazi's garden.

Duthie's Outside Over There further illustrates the importance of words in reinforcing the meaning of pictures. One of the visual illustrations shows a little girl playing a trumpet and a baby appearing to resist to some creatures. Without the accompanying text, it is quite difficult for the reader to understand the build-up to the picture. The text adds meaning to the picture by identifying the little girl as Ida playing her wonder horn to rock her little sister still. Also, the words clarify that Ida's focus on her wonder horn and inattention to the baby gave the goblins a chance to kidnap the baby. The above two examples clearly indicate that pictures cannot stand on their own. They need words to be complete. Without text, the reader may not effectively grasp the emotions, context, relationships, and gestures depicted in a picture, as well as its value and significance. In essence, incorporating words in pictures helps the reader understand the text better.

The interaction between words and pictures is important for the development of reading comprehension. When a story is narrated in both words and pictures, the reader gains a better understanding of the story. At first, as explained by Nodelman, the reader gains a general understanding of the story through the pictures. Words then clarify and specify the meaning portrayed by the pictures, causing the reader to interpret the picture in its true context. In essence, the use of words and pictures at the same time enables the reader to correct their comprehension of the other. Put simply, words complete the meaning of pictures, and pictures complete the meaning of words. This provides a better understanding of a story.

Thus, picture books are important tools for the development of reading comprehension. The books provide stories through which children improve their reading skills. This is achieved by using both pictures and words. The combination of pictures and words enable the reader to grasp a better understanding of the story being told. Pictures relay information words may not relay, thereby reinforcing text. Similarly, words clarify the events leading or following to that portrayed in a picture, thereby enhancing the comprehension of the picture. In essence, words and pictures complement each other, giving the reader a better comprehension of the story.

Works Cited

Duthie, Ellen. "Outside Over There: 'But Never Watched.'" We Read It Like This. Blogspot. Web.14 June 2012. Accessed 12 November 2016.

Duthie, Ellen. "The Garden of Abdul Gasazi: 'What are you doing with Alan's hat?'" We Read It Like This. Blogspot. Web. 20 November 2011. Accessed 12 November 2016.

Fang, Zhihui. "Illustrations, Text, and the Child Reader: What are Pictures in Children's Storybooks for?" Reading Horizons. Vol 37, Issue 2 (Nov/Dec 1996). 131-141.

Nodelman, Perry. "Chapter 7: The Relationships of Pictures and Words." Words About Pictures: Narrative Art of Children's Picture Books. University of Georgia Press,

1990. 210-220.

Sendak, Maurice. Outside Over There. NY: Lothrop, Lee and Shepard, 1981.

Van Allsburg, Chris. The Garden of Abdul Gasazi. NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1979.