Book Review: Children as Illustrators
A Guide to Encouraging and Interpreting Artworks by Young Children
In Children as Illustrators [NAEYC, 2005], Thompson discusses the process of children illustrating their written expression in stories and poems. Rather than considering drawings as a pre-verbal entertainment or simply an accompaniment to later written and verbal expressions of ideas, the drawings are viewed as an expression of ideas valid in their own right that add depth and value to the written words they eventually accompany.
Children as Illustrators
Children constantly seek to express their understanding and response to their environment and experiences. In early stages they draw and then, as their written expression skills develop, they add words to the illustrations. These words and pictures compliment each other to enable children to achieve a greater depth and complexity of expression.
Emphasising and explaining the combination of writing, oral language and art used by children to express themselves, Children as Illustrators is an ideal reference for teachers of kindergarten and early primary-aged children.
The first four chapters offer comprehensive explanations of the chapter theme in addition to suggestions for interacting with and encouraging children to express themselves creatively. There are many real life classroom examples offered to further demonstrate the techniques and ideas discussed and sample dialogues are also provided.
Chapter topics include:
- Understanding Children as Creative Beings
- Connecting Children’s Art with Literacy and Language Development
- Learning from Adult Illustrators and Artists
- Extending the Learning through Reflection and Revision
Illustration Techniques and Activities
The fifth and final chapter provides instructions for 29 classroom art projects to encourage children to explore their creativity and a variety of techniques for expressing themselves. These techniques include printing, painting, collage and less traditional art activities such as handmade paper and rebus writing.
Additional resources for teachers include suggestions for further reading and a list of websites and organisations that promote and support literacy and education of young children. A chart of developmental benchmarks and stages for children aged four to eight is also included, with sample art experiences to promote learning and suggestions for art activities for children and adults to share listed for preschoolers and school-aged children.
Susan Conklin Thompson
An associate professor of education at the University of Northern Colorado, Susan Conklin Thompson has extensive experience working with children as an elementary school teacher and university lecturer, in addition to her experiences with her own children. She has authored a variety of books for teachers and children and has received several university awards for teaching excellence and outstanding research and scholarship.
Thompson was awarded the Early Childhood Professional of the Year Award by the Wyoming Early Childhood Association in 2001 and has served as a consulting editor to the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
National Association for the Education of Young Children
Founded in 1926, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is one of the world’s largest organisations working on behalf of young children. The primary focus of the organisation is improving the well-being of young children, particularly the educational and developmental services for children from birth through to the age of eight years.
A Useful Resource for Infants and Early Childhood Teachers
With the clear and well supported explanations of the role of artwork in the creative and literary development of children, Children as Illustrators is a very practical resource for any teacher who wants to further develop and understand the creative expressions of their preschool and early school-aged students.
Distributed in Australia by Pademelon Press, Children as Illustrators is published by NAEYC.
Related articles:
The Art Book for Children (Book 2)
