Visual Elements of Art
by Luz Estella Mora
Olivia
Written and illustrated by Ian Falconer
Lines
The illustrator uses lines and just a little color to
bring out the characters in the book. The
illustrations demonstrate how energetic the little
pig is. The use of curve lines are used to show the
expressions on the characters’ faces.
It’s a Book
written and illustrated by Lane Smith
Shape
Shape is used to illustrate the characters and the objects
around the characters. The chairs, laptop and the book are
illustrated using squares and rectangles. The clocks on the
wall are circles. Shapes are also used to show the activities
on the laptop. For example, circles are drawn to
emphasizing the noise coming from the laptop.
Martina the Beautiful Cockroach
written by Carmen A. Deedy
illustrated by Michael Austin
Color
The use of beautiful colors brings this book to life. The
illustrator used bright and vivid colors that make the
characters stand out. The illustrations help the reader
connect to Martina and the other characters. Martina is
described as beautiful, so the illustrator used a pretty green
color to illustrate her. She is also dressed in a nice fitted
dress to make her look attractive. The colors also captivate
the mood of the scene. Furthermore, the illustrations help
the readers with the understanding to the text.
Mirror, Mirror
written by Marilyn Singer
illustrated by Josée Masse
Texture
The illustrations in this book stimulate the imagination.
You want to reach in and touch the pictures. Rapunzel’s
hair looks like it would feel soft. The briars in Sleeping
Beauty look like they would hurt to the touch. The ugly
Duckling looks soft and cuddly.
The Three Pigs
written and illustrated by David Wiesner
Composition
The use of composition is evident in this book. The
illustrator used a variety of visual elements. The use of
lines are used to separate the different stories. Shapes
and colors are used to make the illustrations look 3D.
Textured is used to make the pigs look realistic and
emphasize the movement of the pigs from one page to
another.
Evaluation Criteria
Where The Wild Things Are
written and illustrated by Maurice Sendak
Characters
The main character in this book is Max, a mischievous
little boy. He is a boy with a big imagination. The text
and illustrations make the character stand out. Max is
a memorable and believable character because of his
imagination. He manages to entertain himself when he
is sent to his room, but is also ready to return to
reality when necessary.
The Legend of The Bluebonnet
retold and illustrated by Tomie DePaola
Plot
The plot creates a problem and solution situation that
engages a reader. The character in this book is faced
with a difficult problem that involves her sacrificing her
most priced possession. At the end the child helps save
her people. The illustrations in this book compliments
the plot of the story.
It’s Not My Hat
written and illustrated by Jon Klassen
Setting
In this book the setting is brought to life with the
colorful illustrations. The setting is the deep ocean. It
plays an important part in helping the character tell the
story. The setting is important because it shows the
movement of the fish in the ocean. The little fish tries
to hide from the big fish by traveling into an area
covered with seaweed thinking he can’t be seen.
Paper Bag Princess
written by Robert Munsch
illustrated by Michael Martchenko
Theme
The theme in this book provides and important life
lesson to the readers. The Princess tricks the dragon to
try and safe Prince Ronald. After saving him she finds
out that he is a snob and that he doesn’t respect her.
The Princess realizes she doesn’t need to be with
someone like him. The lesson being never judge a book
by its cover.
The Three Pigs
written and illustrated by David Wiesner
Style
The text and illustrations in a picture book can reveal
the element of style. This book uses repetitive
patterns (ex.“Little pig, little pig let me in” and “Not
by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin”). The author also
uses onomatopoeia (ex. huff) The author used
memorable characters (the three pigs) and different
book pages for the setting. The author also uses
dialogue balloons, text excerpts, and illustrations to
engage the reader. Finally, the illustrations look 3D
making the pigs look realistic.
My Teacher Is A Monster (No, I Am Not)
written and illustrated by Peter Brown
Illustrations
The illustrations in this book definitely compliment
the story. Bobby feels that his teacher is a monster
because he is not allowed to throw paper planes in
class. He views her as a monster so she is illustrated to
look like a monster. As Bobby gets to know the
teacher better he realizes she is human after all. Thus
the illustrations of the teacher changes to make her
look more human as the story continues.