Meaning Making With Picture Books

This book examines well-known poetry, picture books, and multimodal texts to explore how visual and literary texts shape collective memory and historical understanding with an initial focus on World War I before expanding to include more current contested issues topics such as colonialism, immigration, and First Nations experiences.

Organized into three sections, the book discusses the role of picture books in teaching difficult histories, analyses postmodern picture books addressing controversial topics, and provides a framework for classroom pedagogy. This approach highlights the importance of empathy, ethics, and creative expression in history education, showcasing how storytelling through multimodal texts bridges the past to the present.

Chapter 1. History as a literary endeavour. - Chapter 2. Bricolage as a text analysis tool. - Chapter 3. Poetry, prose, and images in picture books. - Chapter 4. Theoretical lens for analysing representations of conflict and trauma. - Chapter 5. War and conflict in postmodern texts. - Chapter 6. Theory and practice. - Chapter 7. Historical representations as memorable and engaging experiences.