The (Untold) Drama of the Turning Page: The Role of Page Breaks in Understanding Picture Books
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Abstract
While scholars have recognized the importance of page breaks in both the construction and comprehension of narrative within picture books, there has previously been limited research that focused directly on how children discuss and make sense of these spaces in the text. Yet, because of their nature as dramatic gaps in the narrative, page breaks offer unique and exciting opportunities to understand how children make meaning of picture books (Sipe in Storytime: young children’s literary understanding in the classroom, Teachers College Press, New York, 2008). This study explores how explicitly inviting young children to discuss page breaks offers insights into how these spaces function within the children’s readings. Drawing on transcribed audio-recordings of a series of read-aloud sessions held with a group of children ages five to eight, the analysis focused on coding themes within the children’s talk around page breaks in picture books. Specifically, the children referenced the role of page breaks as aesthetic choices; the utilization of page breaks to comprehend word/picture relationships; and the negotiation of these gaps in the story as they worked construct a cohesive understanding of the narrative. Overall, the data represents the rich possibilities for educators to include explicit talk around page breaks during picture book read-alouds as a pathway toward better understanding children’s sense-making of these texts.
Keywords
Page breaks Picture books Children’s responses ComprehensionNotes
Acknowledgments
The original draft of this paper was written with the support and guidance of the late Dr. Larry Sipe. Dr. Sipe was a friend and mentor whose insights and intellect deeply influenced my own thinking about children’s literature and heightened my appreciation for the ways that children approach and understand texts. He is, and will continually be, missed as both a scholar and as a friend. Special thanks as well to David Low and Patricia Crawford for their close readings and suggestions on earlier drafts.
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