https://doi.org/10.22364/htqe.2023.47 | 594-603 | PDF

Illustrations of Expressions of Emotions in Children’s Books

Aina Strode, Līga Munda
Rezekne Academy of Technologies, Latvia

Abstract. Visual culture is an integral part of modern life. Books with the engaging visual design still attract children’s attention and are at the center of examples of their experiences and interactions. In children’s books, the image is the central part of perception and the accompanying text plays a secondary role. Visual perception influences and shapes children’s views about what the world around them is like. The book’s illustrations are often the primary criteria when choosing a book for a child, which also creates interest in the written content. By analyzing different illustrations, it is possible to distinguish several main features that are characteristic of depicting a certain emotion and how the characters feel. When looking at any illustration, the character’s facial expression is one of the primary objects looked at to determine how the character is feeling. Appropriate body posture creates the effect of movement alone or helps create the mood of an illustration by complementing the emotional background provided by facial expressions. A true representation of emotions in an illustration not only creates an enjoyable overall image but also clearly shows children how each emotion manifests itself and helps them understand themselves and in the people around them. The aim of the research is to investigate the role of children’s books in their psycho-emotional development and the techniques of depicting emotions in book illustrations. Research methods: theorethical – research of literature and Internet resources; case study. Research results – the importance of children’s book illustrations in children’s psycho-emotional development is substantiated, and the types of representation of various emotional expressions are determined. The case study confirms that not in all cases artists have paid attention to facial mimicry, which is the most active part of a person for the expression of emotions.

Keywords: graphic design, children’s book illustrations, emotions, emotional intelligence.


In: Human, Technologies and Quality of Education, 2023. Proceedings of Scientific Papers = Cilvēks, tehnoloģijas un izglītības kvalitāte, 2023. Rakstu krājums
Riga, University of Latvia, 2023. 796 p. Ed. L. Daniela
https://doi.org/10.22364/htqe.2023
ISBN 978-9934-36-116-6