New audiences for picture books ? experiences of reception in primary education

Abstract

Picture books are very much alive today in academic and educational fields. Nowadays the aspects of the picture book that require major attention by experts are the target audience the book is written for, and the didactic possibilities it holds. With regard to the potential readers, the views of researchers are varied and sometimes contradictory. There are those who think picture books are naturally addressed to non-readers or first readers; so it may be considered, due to its format,
too childish for children over 7 or 8 years old. Other researchers believe that picture books are also suitable for Primary and Secondary Education, or even for adults. Here we present a case study which aims to demonstrate the attitudinal components in 3rd (8-9 years) and 5th Year (10-11 years) Primary Education students as they read a picture book. Our experience in the classroom enables us to conclude that picture book format is appropriate for these ages, although we suggest that the methods of mediation and the selection of the texts are decisive factors.