This document outlines the tasks and requirements for a children's literature unit project. Students must choose a picture book, present and lead a discussion about it, and write a 750+ word essay analyzing the interplay between the book's text and illustrations. The essay should develop a thesis about how the illustrations contribute to the theme, tone, or plot through techniques like media used, illustration size, colors, text amount, and line thickness. Students will be graded on completing all tasks, developing a clear thesis supported by analysis, writing in an academic tone, and properly citing the book.

1. Children’s Literature
Unit 3 Project: Analyze an Illustrated Work
Task 1: Choose any high-quality picture book that will
inspire analysis and interpretation as we’ve been practicing in
class and as discussed in the readings. Use the resources on
Blackboard about choosing a book.
Task 2: Present and lead a discussion about your book.
To prepare for your presentation, use the resources on
Blackboard to explore your book thoroughly. Examine the
text, the illustrations, and the performance qualities of the book. Research as needed to find out
the media and techniques used by the author.
Your presentation, which should last around 10 minutes, should first include a brief synopsis and
description of the book. You may give us some background and context about the book or the
author or read a passage that gives us the “feel” of the book.
Next walk us through some of your thoughts about the book and lead the group in a discussion
and analysis. The idea of this portion of your presentation is to test and further develop the ideas
for your essay. It would be wise to pick out some specific illustrations to share, formulate
specific questions, and otherwise prepare to lead this portion of the class.
Task 3: Write an essay of about 750 words in which you analyze the interplay between text
and illustration in light of our class content and discussions. How do the illustrations
contribute to the theme, tone, or plot of the text?
Your view might take into account some of these ideas:
 The media used
 The size of individual illustrations
 The colors of individual illustrations
 The amount of text matched to each picture
 The thickness of line and borders
To complete this analysis adequately, you must first read the text very slowly and analyze ach
illustration carefully. However, your paper will not be a page-by-page annotation. Instead, notice
pattern and pick a few to analyze; then craft a coherent point of view-- a thesis-- about the text.
Use specific examples, descriptions, and quotes to support your ideas

2. Some guidelines:
 Please follow MLA guidelines for
format and citation of your text.
 No outside research is required.
 Proofread and spell check carefully.

3. 27-30
 Project is complete and on Blackboard before class start time.
 Project analyzes multiple related illustration techniques and connects them in a
thesis.
 The project presents clear, sophisticated, insightful ideas that recognize the
complexity of the topic
 The project is written in a consistent, academic tone without errors
 Project includes a Works Cited page with the picture book cited correctly.
 Length is more than 750 words
24-26
 Project analyzes multiple illustration techniques and connects them
coherently.
 The ideas in the project effectively combine original observations with
commonly accepted ideas
 Project demonstrates academic style with, at most, only a few errors.
 Project includes a Works Cited page with picture book cited with, at most,
only a few errors.
 Length is at least 750 words
21-23
 The ideas in the project are generally logical and coherent in analysis of
illustration.
 The project demonstrates competent academic style
 Project cites picture book, but citation may need several corrections.
 Length is at least 700 words
20 or
below
 Project does not present a focused idea about illustration supported by analysis
of the text.
 The project’s development is insufficient to support its ideas adequately
 Project contains consistent errors in use of Standard English
 Project may not cite book or citation has significant errors
 Length is less than 700 words