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Discover how drawings and pictures help tell the story and show character feelings.
Imagine you are reading a book where all the words suddenly disappear! Could you still tell what is happening just by looking at the drawings?
1. Read the sentence: 'Sam sat at the table.' 2. Look at the picture: Sam has a big cake in front of him with candles. 3. Identify the extra detail: The words didn't say it was Sam's birthday, but the picture told us!
Quick Check
What is the special word for a picture in a book?
Answer
Illustration
Characters don't always tell us how they feel with their voices. Instead, we have to look at their expressions. If a character's eyes are wide and their mouth is open in an 'O' shape, they are likely surprised. If their eyebrows are scrunched together and their arms are crossed tightly, they might be angry. We also look at their body. Someone jumping up and down is usually excited, while someone looking at the floor might be shy or sad.
Imagine a picture of a boy standing near a broken vase. 1. His head is down. 2. His hands are behind his back. 3. His mouth is a small straight line. Even without words, we can tell he feels guilty or sorry for what happened.
Quick Check
If a character is smiling and dancing, how are they probably feeling?
Answer
Happy or excited
A prediction is a smart guess about what will happen next. Illustrations are full of clues that help us predict! If you see a character holding an umbrella while looking at a dark, gray cloud, you can predict it is about to rain. Story detectives look at the edges of the pictures to see what is coming into the scene. If a cat is creeping toward a birdhouse on the next page, we can guess the bird might fly away soon.
1. Look at a picture of a girl building a sandcastle. 2. Notice a giant wave in the corner of the page, very close to the castle. 3. Predict: The wave will likely knock over the sandcastle on the next page. This adds suspense to the story!
If the text says 'It was a hot day' and the picture shows a boy with an ice cream cone, what is the extra detail?
Which facial expression usually means a character is scared?
You should only look at the pictures if you don't know how to read the words.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow, try to remember the three things a 'Story Detective' looks for: extra details, feelings, and clues for the future.
Practice Activity
Pick up your favorite picture book. Before reading the words on a new page, look at the picture and try to guess what the characters will say!