Truth and Story matter when you put picture books in the hands of readers. Here’s why.
Truth
Truth reflects the reality that God has ordained in Creation, Fall, and Redemption.
“TRUTH” is reality as God has ordained it, from the order of His creation and the fall of man. God is good. Man’s nature is evil. Christ is the Redeemer. Anything in literature that demonstrates these realities is reflecting God’s Truth.
truth
refers to common knowledge or common grace.
Story
is the kind of book you want to read again. And again. These are the stories that really have power. They linger with you, and you just have to share them with others in order to enhance your own delight. These timeless themes are often found in folklore because they are worthy of being inherited from one generation to the next. What is the greatest story ever told on earth? The Incarnation of Christ!
story
has a beginning, a middle and an end…but one time through is enough.
Truth and Story in Picture Books
Picture books bring stories alive through illustrations worth lingering over. More than just providing images on a page, Illustrations are artwork that you and your children linger over because it is beautiful, meaningful, and enhance the story.
The illustrator uses well-thought out techniques such as palette, line, proportion, and artistic media (watercolor, collage, oil, pencil, photography, etc.) to communicate greater emotion than is revealed by the text alone. Neither the text nor the illustrations are complete independent of one another.
For more about Truth, Story, Illustrations, and Reading, read this article. Can you think of some examples of Truth and Story in picture books? Share them with us!