ABSTRACT
The opening chapter of Theorising Oliver Jeffers’ Picturebooks: From How to Catch a Star to Now introduces readers to Oliver Jeffers’ career over a twenty-year period (2004–2024) and highlights his role in (re)shaping the form of contemporary Irish picturebooks. Jeffers’ career is certainly vast; his picturebooks resonate with readers worldwide and for very good reason; they portray a myriad of themes and semiotically portray the resonances of the ordinary in the fantastical, showcasing the everyday wonder of childhood. This chapter also outlines the book’s multi-theoretical approach to analysing Jeffers’ picturebooks, including semiotic deconstruction, affect theory, metafiction, and pedagogical perspectives.
