Illustrations in books play a major role in the telling of the story for many children. As I child myself, it was definitely an important factor in whether or not I was going to read the book. As I grew up, I realised illustrations didn’t always determine whether the story was going to be good or not, but as a younger, less confident reader having the right illustrations made reading more enjoyable.
I loved all Jacqueline Wilson’s books and I think it was partly due to Nick Sharratt’s very distinctive, neat and detailed illustrations on the cover and throughout the books. His style was very aesthetically pleasing and inspired me to draw in a similar style growing up. I feel they work really well in Jacqueline Wilson’s books as they fit well with the stories.These books are aimed for children between the ages of 7 and 12 I would say. Sharratt’s illustrations also appear in various other children’s books, mostly younger children’s book, like ‘Eat Your Peas’. The colours he uses are very vibrant, bringing the story to life.
As a young child I loved being read Roald Dahl books, with my favourites being Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Witches. However when reading them myself I became disinterested as I hated the illustrations. Looking at them now, I can appreciate Quentin Blakes quick rough sketches throughout the stories, but as a young child I remember really disliking them and it made me reluctant to read his books. He uses rough, light quick lines to draw his characters and then either leaves them as line drawings or fills them in with a wash of water colour.
When I was younger, I was lucky enough to live very close to a library that always had lots of exciting things going on for children. There would often be authors come in to talk about books that they’d written, to inspire and encourage young readers to read them. One that has always stayed in my mind was when Scottish children’s author Aileen Paterson visited the library, promoting her ‘Maisie’ books. They are aimed for young children and from what I can remember, the stories were very good. They seemed relevant to the local children in particular as they are set in areas of Edinburgh and Fife.
The reason I have always remembered this author and her books is because of the illustrations. During her library visit, as well as reading us part of her new story and telling us why she wrote her books, Aileen Paterson also demonstrated how she draws Maisie. She had an easel with a big sheet of paper on it and she drew the cat effortlessly in thick black marker pen. She later gave it away to a child who asked her a good question (and although I can’t remember what my question was, to this day i’m convinced I deserved it more). I remember being fascinated at the fact she could draw this cat over and over again and get it identical every time.
I do think that illustrations in children’s books are such an important factor in enriching the story for children, particularly less confident readers or children reluctant to read. I think in schools when children are writing creatively, it is just as important to help them develop their drawings and illustrations.
