'a picture speaks a thousand words'
Illustrations from children's books have always been a source for gathering information about the values and social and economic conditions of a particular period - a window to the change and diversity of social and cultural trends.
Early children's books were frequently of a moral or religious nature created to control and improve children. Warning of the consequences of immoral actions, they often portrayed only examples of the well behaved child and the family with two parents who were to be obeyed. The message was largely confined to the text, as limited printing technology and lack of appreciation for the power of the image meant that very few books were illustrated.
Then came the refinement of 'offset' litho printing and colour separation techniques in the 1960's and 70's. The technology had an enormous impact on children's books because it released artists from the limitations of illustrating with only a few techniques and colours, into a bold new capability: they were able to illustrate in any medium they desired. Whereas in the earlier style 'illustrated book' the images are purely decorative: in a 'picture book' the images are at least as important as the text. Once the artistic restrictions were removed, the picture book as a genre was established with contemporary illustrators using all the techniques of representation found in art, including impressionism, surrealism, collage and photograph.
In the 1800's a few authors started to portray childhood as a period of growth rather than being purely exemplary.
But it took an Australian to help clear the air and establish stories of family life where children learned by doing, and benefited from their mistakes. Ethel Turner's frank and daring statement at the beginning of Seven Little Australians (1894) was to become a sort of manifesto for the family story in Australia:
Before you fairly start this story, I should like to give you just a word of warning. If you think you are going to read of model children, with perhaps a naughtily-inclined one to point a moral, you had better lay down this book immediately and take yourself to Sandford and Merton, or similar standard juvenile works. Not one of the seven is really good, for the very excellent reason that Australian children never are. 1
Although Australian family stories started to portray individuals in a more realistic light the families were still on the whole structured, stable and secure. Then came Mavis Thorpe Clark's The Min Min (1966), a ground breaking story where the family was no longer a place for security and happiness and the children run away from their abusive father in order to establish their own self worth.
The messages in children's picture books tend to be a reflection of society rather than radical or experimental, but they allow plenty of scope to learn about social and cultural issues. At times the information is not in the text and is only absorbed through reading the illustrations. Family settings are most familiar to children, and are therefore used for the majority of children's picture books, even if this is not implied in the text. Illustrations in contemporary picture books portray a multitude of family structures.
The picture book has ranged in the past twenty-five years from the bush ballad and pictures of the outback life and Aboriginal dreamtime to urban living and inner-city stresses; families have moved from being nuclear and established to the shifting ground of extended, blended and culturally 'different' groups. 2
The story might be about the whole family or it might focus on individuals and their feelings, fears or frustration, usually with a family in the background. The early Australian picture books tend to depict the stereotypical nuclear family. Judith Cowell's illustration from The Useless Donkeys (1979) is representative of 1970's picture books. The father is seen as a distant character - perhaps behind a newspaper or on the edge of family activity. The mother is almost always doing housework or child minding. The children are usually portrayed with a greater sense of freedom but with the 'happy' nuclear family in the background.
As society changed an increasing effort was made to portray families in non-stereotypical roles. Working mothers and fathers as care givers were introduced, roles within the family were less clearly defined with some books exploring the concept of complete role reversals. The books developed to explore individuality within a family and more emotional territory such as a new baby in the home, sibling rivalry or death in a family.
By the mid 1980's the image of Australian society had shifted to show a greater cultural diversity. The Kinder Hat, (1985) written by Morag Loh, is a simple story of a child making a hat for her mother. Donna Rawlins' illustrations show us a kindergarten class of multi racial children, parents of Asian descent and subtle messages about Australian life through the portrayal of urban living shown as Jessie walks home with her mother.
Today's picture books deal with all the manifestations of a 'family' as well as challenges which individual children might face. These stories can offer understanding to a child by mirroring their own situation - or they can be simply an enjoyable story which may enlarge the child's perspective.
Recently picture books have appeared about single parent families and homeless children. In Margaret Wild's Space Travellers (1992), illustrated by Gregory Rogers, a mother and her son sleep in a playground space rocket climbing frame. The illustrations show this family as secure and happy and the ending sees Mandy and Zac moving into a house with some friends.
While the majority of children's picture books still tend to portray 'the happy nuclear family', increasingly this is left open to interpretation within both the text and the illustrations. Occasional fears or despairs may be faced through the story, but the endings are generally comfortable and secure. As picture books are often for a younger audience it is understandable that their world does not yet have to be bleak, although some stark realities can be introduced. On the other hand, literature for older children is increasingly more challenging - dealing with far more complex issues and unresolved situations.
Way Home, (1994), with text by Libby Hathorn and illustrations by Gregory Rogers tells us of a young boy rescuing a cat in the threatening city. The final scene shows us the boy with the cat safely reaching 'home' - a box in an abandoned city building. The cat becomes the family for this boy with no name, his past unknown and his future left in the air.
In some picture books, while the text describes a situation it is the illustrations which provide a greater understanding and depth, at times telling an entirely different story. Allan Baillie's text for Drac and the Gremlin (1988) is an adventure of mythical characters - Drac the Warrior Queen fights against the evils of the Gremlin in the mysterious land of Tirnol Two. Jane Tanner's illustrations shows us the imaginative play of a brother and sister in the garden with their mother, the White Wizard, watching from a window.
In contrast the illustrations from the 1894 edition of Seven Little Australians clearly shows us an example of a Nursery Tea, an episode which has been clearly described in the text.
Historical information about family life in Australia can be sought from earlier illustrated books but the modern picture book is also a tremendous source. Contemporary picture books that portray an earlier period are well researched and usually packed with visual clues. It is by reflecting on the contrasts that one gains a greater understanding of today's family structures. Rachel Tonkin's illustrations in When I Was A Kid are an example of a contemporary picture book portraying an earlier period in time.
Jeanie Adams has written and illustrated two books that relate stories of contemporary Aboriginal family life, Pigs and Honey and Going for Oysters. These authentic, unemotive, accounts of a families weekend outing were the first stories describing everyday family events by either an aboriginal or non-aboriginal illustrator.
Grandparents are commonly found in picture books. Often they are used to build bridges between generations and cultures. In Old Magic, illustrated by Di Wu, a young Chinese boy has adopted his new Australian lifestyle. Through understanding the frustration of his grandfather the boy is able to acknowledge the culture of his heritage and place it within his new culture.
Australian illustrators will regularly portray the family on a typical family outing, the beach being synonymous with Australian lifestyle. Magic Beach, by Alison Lester, is a classic example of families on the beach without the usual summer setting. Other illustrations will offer clues to the family being in another culture setting, as seen in Ilse Van Garderen's Winter Bacon.
Through the display
of picture book illustrations we are able to promote skills of aesthetic
appreciation and interpretation and ultimately an understanding of the
diverse culture in which we live.
1. Saxby, Maurice. Books in the Life of a Child,
Macmillan, 1997 p.251
2. ibid p.199
Dromkeen 1998
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