Children’s Picturebooks: The Art of Visual Storytelling

Children’s Picturebooks: The Art of Visual Storytelling is a detailed study of the picturebook as a distinctive literary and artistic form. This digital edition is supplied as a PDF and is available for instant download after purchase. Martin Salisbury and Morag Styles explore the history, craft, and theory behind picturebooks for young readers.

Written for illustrators, students, educators, and lovers of visual literature, the book connects the practice of picturebook-making with critical research. It shows how images and words work together to carry meaning, and how the form has developed over the past century and more.

This is a digital download, so there is no physical shipping. You will receive access to the file after checkout and can begin reading on your device.

Book Overview

Children’s Picturebooks was published in 2012 by Laurence King Publishing. The volume is divided into seven chapters, beginning with a brief history of the picturebook, moving through the picturebook maker’s art, the child reader, word and image interplay, print and process, and finally the children’s publishing industry. Professional and student case studies appear at the end of each chapter, based on interviews with artists, students, and publishers conducted in 2009 and 2010.

The authors draw on the critical theory of scholars such as Barbara Bader and on the research of Evelyn Arizpe and Morag Styles. The book is intended as an accessible introduction for students studying picturebook illustration and as a celebration of the picturebook as visual literature.

What You’ll Discover Inside

• A history of the picturebook, from early precursors to twenty-first-century titles.
• An exploration of the picturebook maker’s art, including education, training, and learning to see.
• Insights into how children read picturebooks and develop visual literacy.
• Discussion of word and image, word as image, wordless books, and pictorial text.
• A guide to print and process, covering relief printing, screen-printing, lithography, and digital printmaking.
• An overview of the children’s publishing industry, including editorial procedures, contracts, and the Bologna Children’s Book Fair.

Why This Book Matters

Children’s Picturebooks helps bridge the divide between art and design education and literary theory. It argues that the picturebook deserves recognition as visual literature, not simply as a stepping stone to reading. The book includes professional case studies of artists such as Beatrice Alemagna, Ajubel, and Liz Loveless, along with student case studies that offer insight into current practice.

The picturebook remains a vital form for introducing children to the visual arts and language. This edition offers a wide-ranging, evidence-based account of its past, present, and future.

Book Details

Device Compatibility

This is a digital download, so no physical copy will be shipped. Once your purchase is complete, you will receive access to the PDF file for your own use.

The PDF is suitable for reading on desktop computers, tablets, smartphones, and compatible e-readers. It can be opened in Kindle apps, Adobe Reader, Preview, and other common PDF reading applications.

To get the best experience on a smaller screen, use a reading app that supports zoom and page reflow.

We cannot print the book for you, but the PDF may be viewed on screen across your devices.

FAQ

How do I access my download?
After checkout, you will receive instant access to the digital PDF. A download link is provided on the confirmation page and in your order details.

Will a physical book be shipped?
No. This is a digital download only. There is no physical product and no shipping.

Which devices are supported?
The PDF works with Kindle apps, tablets, desktop reading software, and mobile devices that support PDF files.

Add Children’s Picturebooks to your digital library and explore the art of visual storytelling.