ABSTRACT

Picturebooks offer readers the opportunity to see their worlds reflected and to see worlds unknown. Many of those worlds are quite real and others, imaginary. But whether known or not, realistic or imaginary, one important aspect by which books are considered well-suited for child readers is whether they offer emotional resonance in ways that ring true. One way in which emotional resonance is achieved is through the spaces given to children as readers. Space can be understood in many ways. It can be physical space seen within the illustrations of a picturebook (Ganzenmüller and Yokota 2016), but here, I refer to emotional space that is intuitively felt by the reader and conceptual space evoked through the illustration and through text that allows the reader to interpret story. We can recall spaces where one feels welcomed, embraced, and nurtured; at other times, spaces can feel unwelcoming, repulsive, and even frightening. Space can also have enough intrigue to make us interested, whereas at other times it can lack stimulation and be boring. At its best, space can be inviting enough that we want to enter, stay, and thrive in it. Within this book on Where Children Rule, “space” can offer children opportunities to be empowered enough to thrive and to figure out the world for themselves. Yet while making the case for children to be empowered through “space,” the role of the “hidden adult” in creating and maintaining such spaces demands recognition (Nodelman, The Hidden Adult).