Children’s books research

The Bad-Tempered Ladybirdby Eric Carle

• This book was written by Eric Carle who also wrote The Very Hungry Caterpillar and published by Puffin. It is square shaped (19.1 x 0.5 x 26.1cm). It is a fairly short book with only 40 pages and relatively large text in a bold sans serif font which makes it easy to read.

• Not all of the pages are full pages either, as some of the pages are smaller to represent smaller animals in the story, and the larger animals in the story, such as the whale, take up 4 pages. Also, there is a clock on every page, which may also help children to tell the time. Onomatopoeia is also used when certain animals speak, such as the snake which says “insisssst”. There are approximately 35 words per page and it is written in very basic English so it is easy for the target audience to understand, which is young children of the ages 3+. As well as writing the book, Eric Carle also illustrated it. It looks like he has used strips of paper to create shapes, turned them into a collage and then painted over them. It also ends with a happy ending, and a message to the audience that you should not try and pick fights with people.

The Gruffaloby Julia Donaldson

• This is written by Julia Donaldson, published by Macmillan Children’s books and the illustrations are by Axel Scheffler. It is 32 pages long. The dimensions of this book are 0.3 x 21 x 26cm, so it is around about the same size as A4, only slightly wider, meaning it is quite large. The font is also quite large and is in serif, meaning that it is a lot easier to read. Also there are around 30 words per page and it is written in very basic English, relatively short sentences and in rhyming couplets, so it appeals to its demographic which is children of both genders probably around the ages 4+. The illustrations are by Axel Scheffler and they are very detailed but not realistic, and take up most of the page, sometimes even the whole two page spread.

• The gruffalo itself is presented as a large and threatening creature, so stereotypes have been used, which typically happens in children’s books.

Oliver’s Vegetablesby Vivian French

• This book is written by Vivian French, and it is, like most other children’s books, a large square shape (the dimensions being 21 x 0.4 x 25.2cm), so it is larger than A4 width ways, but not as tall. Again, the font used for the text is a serif font, and is quite large, however there are only around 30 words per page, and the illustration takes up the double page spread, meaning it is more visual so people are more free to interpret certain aspects of the story, so it probably appeals to much younger children who favour visuals over text. Overall there are 32 pages, but they are mostly filled with the illustrations that were done by Alison Bartlett. The illustrations look like they have been painted, and the style makes it look like a child has painted it with rich vivid colours to make it appeal to the younger audience.

• The story is told in short, basic sentences.