Literature for the preliterate
And how it connects to the use of children's picture books
The Book of Kells
Iona, Scotland
Early Medieval
Iona, Scotland
Early Medieval
Prior to picking up your first book and actually reading it, what did you do? Most likely, before you could read text you were offered picture books, books that usually contain both text and print. While the print itself might have looked like a garbled bunch of indistinct symbols, the picture would have assisted you in understanding the the overall story.
For illiterate Christians in the Medieval period, this is one of the reasons illuminated manuscripts, such as The Book of Kells, would have been produced. During this time in Europe, literacy and the use of written language was still in its infancy and only a small percentage of the population was literate. The Book of Kells became a symbol of the growing power and strength of the Christian church, and the elaborate and ornate drawings would have been quite expensive to produce. The pages were illustrated on vellum sheets with materials such as lapis lazuli for the blue coloring in the drawings coming from Afganistan. Some scholars theorize that the reason The Book of Kells and other illuminated manuscripts have a higher survival rate than other text of the same period is the fact that they are illustrated and so were of greater value to the illiterate population.
Much of our focus as Elementary Educators is in the promotion of reader interest. I would argue, that this could be one of the reasons the illuminated manuscripts were produced. Promoting reader interest in the earliest stages of reading is focused upon finding books for children that inspire them or lead them to want to understand the written text themselves. These books will often offer a lot of visual cues through the use of illustrations. In the ornate illustrations of the Book of Kells, we find stories within stories. Zoomorphic forms are interlaced among pages of ornate calligraphy and the symbols within each page each contain relevance to the text. All of it is absolutely beautiful and would have been in the current taste. The artistry and symbolism of these pages brought a certain mystique to the message within.
When Elementary Educators stock their classroom libraries they have to consider, just as the scribes in England and Scotland at the time, current taste and visual aesthetics. In essence, we are constantly asking the question, "Would this make me want to read? Do these illustrations effectively draw the reader in and inspire interest?"
For illiterate Christians in the Medieval period, this is one of the reasons illuminated manuscripts, such as The Book of Kells, would have been produced. During this time in Europe, literacy and the use of written language was still in its infancy and only a small percentage of the population was literate. The Book of Kells became a symbol of the growing power and strength of the Christian church, and the elaborate and ornate drawings would have been quite expensive to produce. The pages were illustrated on vellum sheets with materials such as lapis lazuli for the blue coloring in the drawings coming from Afganistan. Some scholars theorize that the reason The Book of Kells and other illuminated manuscripts have a higher survival rate than other text of the same period is the fact that they are illustrated and so were of greater value to the illiterate population.
Much of our focus as Elementary Educators is in the promotion of reader interest. I would argue, that this could be one of the reasons the illuminated manuscripts were produced. Promoting reader interest in the earliest stages of reading is focused upon finding books for children that inspire them or lead them to want to understand the written text themselves. These books will often offer a lot of visual cues through the use of illustrations. In the ornate illustrations of the Book of Kells, we find stories within stories. Zoomorphic forms are interlaced among pages of ornate calligraphy and the symbols within each page each contain relevance to the text. All of it is absolutely beautiful and would have been in the current taste. The artistry and symbolism of these pages brought a certain mystique to the message within.
When Elementary Educators stock their classroom libraries they have to consider, just as the scribes in England and Scotland at the time, current taste and visual aesthetics. In essence, we are constantly asking the question, "Would this make me want to read? Do these illustrations effectively draw the reader in and inspire interest?"
The letter C pages from Graeme Base's Animalia, in which all images within the page begin with the letter C, provide a great example of how beautiful children's books can be, while still proving a powerful tool for learning.
Crafty Crimson Cats, 1984 (original artwork from the book, Animalia by Graeme Base)