Through the Looking-Glass:
Using Picture Books to Teach Visual Literacy and
Intercultural Understanding
~ Philippa Janu, Abbotsleigh ~
janup@abbotsleigh.nsw.edu.au
…the books are something like our books, only the words go the wrong way; I know
that, because I've held up one of our books to the glass, and then they hold up one in
the other room.
Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There, 1871.
Today’s students are living in a ‘flat’ world, a world in which infinite possibilities
exist for transacting across cultures.
Friedman, cited in Taliaferro, 2009, p. 30.
…few interact across cultures with regularity, with grace, or with significance.
Fecho, 2001, p. 33.
Current Stage 4 Syllabus Outcomes
A student:
1. responds to and composes texts for understanding, interpretation,
critical analysis and pleasure
4. uses and describes language forms and features, and structures of texts
appropriate to different purposes, audiences and contexts
9. demonstrates understanding that texts express views of their
broadening world and their relationships within it
10. identifies, considers and appreciates cultural expression in texts
Board of Studies NSW, 2003.
Educational Goals for Young Australians
Goal 2: All young Australians become:
- successful learners,
- confident and creative individuals, and
- active and informed citizens
- are able to relate to and communicate across cultures, especially the
cultures and countries of Asia
MCEETYA, 2008.
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Australian Curriculum Draft Syllabus
 Learning Across the Curriculum
o Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures [AHC]
o Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia [A]
o Critical and creative thinking [CCT]
o Difference and diversity [DD]
o Ethical understanding [EU]
o Intercultural understanding [IU]
 Students develop intercultural understanding as they learn to
understand themselves in relation to others.
 The study of English offers rich opportunities for intercultural
understanding and exchange. Students experience a range of
literature from different cultures, including the inscriptional
and oral narrative traditions of Aboriginal people and Torres
Strait Islander people, as well as the contemporary literature
of these two cultural groups. They also read classic and
contemporary world literature, including texts from and about
Asia.
 Text Requirements for Stage 4
o Across the stage, the selection of texts must give students
experience of:
 texts which are widely regarded as quality literature
 a widely defined Australian literature, including texts that
give insights into Aboriginal experiences in Australia
 a wide range of literary texts from other countries and times,
including poetry, drama scripts, prose fiction and picture
books
 texts written about intercultural experiences
 texts that provide insights about the peoples and countries of
Asia, including texts written by Asian Australians …
 nonfiction, picture books, graphic novels …
Board of Studies NSW, 2012.
Picture Books about Culture
Author/
Title
Illustrator
Annelore Parot
Aoki
Linda Sue Park,
The Third Gift
Bagram Ibatoulline
Liz Lofthouse,
Ziba Came on a Boat
Robert Ingpen
Anh Do, Suzanne
The Little Refugee
Do, Bruce Whatley
Diane Lucas,
Walking with the Seasons
Ken Searle
in Kakadu
Boori Monty Pryor, Shake a Leg
Jan Ormerod
Jeannie Baker
Mirror
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Date
Culture/s Reflected
2011
2011
Japan
Middle East
2007
Afghanistan (refugee)
2011
2003
Vietnam, Australia
(refugee)
Australian Aboriginal
2010
Australian Aboriginal
2010
Morocco and Australia
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UNIT:
Picture Books as Mirrors and Windows into
Culture
Unit Objectives
Students will:
• Develop their intercultural understanding by engaging with picture
books that reflect a range of cultures.
• Understand and use analytical terms to describe the visual elements of
picture books.
• Use their study of picture books to develop their understanding of
narrative structure, applying this understanding by writing narratives of
their own.
• Identify and demonstrate how symbols and motifs convey meaning.
Structure of the Unit
1. Prior Knowledge
o Bring favourite book to class.
o What is culture?
o Pre-test of terms used to describe picture books:
 Audience

 Composition

 Endpapers

 Framing

 Gutter

 Layout

 Juxtaposition

 Contrast

Saturation
Hue
Point of view
Reading path
Salience
Vectors
Symbol
Motif
2. Visual Grammar
3. Analysis of Picture Books
o E.g. Jeannie Baker’s Mirror (2010):
 Pre-reading: comparing front and back covers, reading path
 During reading: Is Mirror one story or two?
 Post-reading activities (options for teacher modelling, student
writing in groups or individually, discussion as a class or in
groups):
 Writing words to match the images
 What is the effect of using a double-binding technique?
 How effective are the collages? What are the benefits of
collage over other illustration techniques?
 What do vectors draw our attention to?
 What do the motifs represent?
 Paragraph Response: “Mirror is a book about cultural
difference”. Do you agree with this statement?
Why/why not?
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4. Creative Assessment Task
1. Compose a short story using a motif or symbol inspired by one of the
picture books or the film you have studied in class this term.
Your story should be 600-800 words in length.
2. Design a book cover for your story which depicts your motif or symbol
in some form and uses your knowledge of visual literacy. (This section
of the task will not be marked)
3. Write a 200 word reflection, explaining the link between your choice of
motif/symbol and your book cover. You should aim to include the
terminology that you have learned in your study of visual design (e.g.,
salience, symbol, framing, choice of colour).
The following criteria will be used to assess how well you:
 Demonstrate an understanding of narrative structure in
composing an imaginative and engaging short story.
 Demonstrate an understanding of how motif/symbol shape
meaning.
 Compose a reflection which uses your understanding of visual
literacy to explain the link between the story and the book
cover.
5. Reflection
o Why do picture books provide an effective way to learn about
culture?
Images from Baker, 2010.
Picture books are created to tell stories that provoke our emotions. When dealing
with historically or geographically distant events and peoples, they are conveyors of
mythic qualities. Because each book comes from a single point of view, it is
particularly important that we include many different picture books for our
students...With careful attention to the materials used and the age of the children,
we can at least lift a corner of the curtain of the world beyond their windows.
Marantz & Marantz, 2000, p. l6.
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References
 Articles
Fecho, B. (2001). “Why are you doing this?”: Acknowledging and transcending
threat in a critical inquiry classroom. Research in the teaching of English,
36(1), 9-37.
Marantz, S., & Marantz, K. (2000). Picture books peek behind cultural curtains.
Book Links, 9(3), 13-18.
Taliaferro, C. (2009). Using picture books to expand adolescents’ imaginings of
themselves and others. English Journal, 99(2), 30-36.
 Picture Books
Baker, J. (2010). Mirror. London: Walker Books.
Do, A., Do, S., & Whatley, B. (2011). The little refugee. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin.
Lofthouse, L., & Ingpen, R. (2007). Ziba came on a boat. Camberwell: Penguin.
Lucas, D., & Searle, K. (2003). Walking with the seasons in Kakadu. Crows Nest:
Allen & Unwin.
Park, L. S., & Ibatoulline, B. (2011). The third gift. St Lucia: University of
Queensland Press.
Parot, A. (2011). Aoki. Richmond: Hardie Grant Egmont.
Pryor, B. M., & Ormerod, J. (2010). Shake a leg. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin.
 Documents
Board of Studies NSW. (2003). English years 7-10 syllabus. Sydney: Board of
Studies NSW.
Board of Studies NSW. (2012). English K-10 Australian curriculum draft syllabus
version 2. Sydney: Board of Studies NSW.
Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs. (2008,
December). Melbourne declaration on educational goals for young
Australians.
Retrieved
April
25,
2012,
from
http://www.mceecdya.edu.au/verve/_resources/National_Declaration_on_
the_Educational_Goals_for_Young_Australians.pdf
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