Children's literature books and photography as promoters of visual literacy and readers training

Abstract

In this study, it is based on the assumption that the image is shown as a text, a visual text, that informs, narrates, incites dialogues and, above all, stands out for its formative and transformative aspect. In this aspect, we understand the intimate connection that exists between visual representation and the artistic sphere that reinforces it as an instrument of communication and expression. For this reason, it is essential to understand the role of Visual Literacy in the trajectory of human formation, considering that images, as well as written words, tell stories, since the art of reading images can be mediated by various supports, including the book. Thus, the book of Children's Literature associated with photographic language is pointed out as an illustration technique that gains wider space in discussions and analyses about Children's Literature since it enables the integration of others artistic visual manifestations in the supports of literary reading. This theme refers to a Doctorate investigation still in progress and this abstract illustrates an extract of this research that at first has as methodology a qualitative approach, of the exploratory type in a documentary analysis about the exploration of five books of Children's Literature illustrated with the contribution of photographic art. From this perspective, the following objective of the first part of the research is outlined: to present and to analyze five books of Children's Literature, awarded or indicated by PNL, illustrated with photography and that can potentially contribute to the development of children's visual literacy and to the process of readers training. To this end, a reflexive analysis of the following literary works is carried out: Dragão Jeremias by Maria João Viegas and Carlo Giovani, Há um fantasma nesta casa by Oliver Jeffers, Alice in Wonderland by Susy Lee, Balas Mágicas by Heena Baek and Como cozinhar uma criança by the author Afonso Cruz, all of them constituted from the use of photography. In this way, we seek a theoretical foundation in Susan Sontag's studies with the work Sobre fotografia, in Lucia Santaella with the work Leitura de imagens, in A imagem of Jacques Aumont, Sophie Van der Linden with the work Para ler o livro ilustrado and finally Ligia Cademartori author of O que é literature infantil, among other references that contemplate the themes. As expected results, the work considers the choice for the use of photographic visual language as an enhancer of visual literacy and the readers training. This combination of the arts is capable of influencing the reader's vision and understanding of the world and therefore can contribute to their training process from a very early age. In addition, it is believed that the association of photography with Children's Literature can expand possibilities of reading, dialogues and interpretations, as well as bring the reader and the book closer together based on the undeniably transformative competence of books.