Cross Continental Readings of Visual Narratives: An analysis of Six Books in the New Zealand PictureBook Collection

Abstract

This article argues that, by analyzing the ways in which illustrators use certain visual codes, we can learn much about a country's history/culture and demonstrates this by analyzing the visual narratives of six picture books from the New Zealand Picture Book Collection (NZPBC) Emphasis is placed on how the front covers-which introduce both the stories and the new culture to young readers-are used to facilitate cultural understanding by focusing on Intercultural stimuli/cultural exchanges; respecting beliefs/values; observing cultural lifestyles, sharing visual imagery and discussing the interplay between text and image