Picture book’s illustration and young children: A case study

Picture books have been used a lot in kindergartens. While illustration in picture books is a form of art which easily approached by young children, teachers tend to focus on the content of the story, messages behind the story and what is in the picture. The key focus of this study is to investigate how Hong Kong young children perceive and comprehend the illustration in picture books especially in terms of art and visual arts elements. Three picture books of same theme illustrated with specific art form and visual arts elements will be read to 30 children aged 5-6 in a Hong Kong kindergarten. Children are invited to talk about their favorite page in each picture book and draw a picture about the story. Through the field notes, transcripts and children’s drawing, characteristics of illustration preferred by children will be identified. Children’s awareness and interpretation of the visual art elements in the illustration will be analyzed. In the conclusion, we will discuss the ways to enhance children’s learning of basic art concepts and visual art elements through picture books. Copyright © 2017 The Education University of Hong Kong.