Picture Books and Their Educational Significance

Excerpts from “Picture Books with Movable Figures” by Brunhild Mueller
(original German title “Bilderbücher mit beweglichen Figuren”)

translated by Brigitte Knaack

For many adults, significant and vivid memories are associated with picture books from their childhood. It is not so much the stories and verses from the books leaving such a lasting impression on our memory, but rather thepictures. These pictures come to life before our mind’s eye: the ones that are dear to us and those that still fill uswith fear.

This observation reminds us that picture books are important educational tools. Therefore, as parents and
educators, we need criteria to help us choose suitable pictures and books for our children, as well as guidelines for creating our own picture books.

In Rudolf Steiner’s writings and lecture cycles (see references 1-10, p. 49 ff.), we find specific statements and
references to this, particularly, with regard to picture books with movable figures. These are books in which theindividual figures can be moved by pulling strings from below, for example. A somewhat simpler type are books inwhich figures can be moved freely within the picture using a hand-guided rod. Books in which pictures are movedwithin a specific picture section by using a rotating disc are not considered here. The simpler type mentionedabove will be discussed in more detail below.

Firstly, it is important to consider things from a perspective other than our own adult point of view and our own preferences. Children cannot yet relate to many of the things that appeal to adults in a book. They experience the colours of the pictures, their shapes, the language, and the content of the images much more directly than adults do. Children experience colour compositions in their entirety as a mood, as a sound. This evokes pleasant or unpleasant feelings in children. While the colourful pictures in books can bring joy and pleasure, they can also have a deterrent effect or provoke fear. Therefore, colours should neither be used symbolically nor arbitrarily, nor should they hurt children’s feelings with their unpleasant garishness.

Looking at pictures encourages children to talk. Not only do pictures elicit feelings of pleasure or displeasure in children; they also awaken forces within them that rise from their inner selves. Therefore, a picture book in which the viewer becomes an ‘actor’, such as a book with movable figures, has a special value for a child’s development. Interacting with it stimulates the ‘inner mobility’ of the child’s organs. The language and thought processes stimulated by such a book play a part in shaping the child’s future life. Seen in this light, the lines of poetry, the rhymes, and the little stories in the picture book support and enrich the child’s perception of the illustrations. This is especially evident when the language appeals to the child’s enjoyment of sounds, when it has a beautiful and rhythmic quality. By imitatively speaking along, children can then engage in an activity that is appropriate for them and makes them feel comfortable.

The rhythms and gestures inherent in the sounds (nimbly the trout / is darting about...) encourage children to
move the figures. This corresponds to children’s need to accompany their actions with speech. When children
determine the patterns of movement through their speech, creating meaningful connections in this way and
experiencing them as conceptually linked relationships, this has a positive effect on their general conceptual
development. A picture book with movable figures can be a valuable educational tool. It can provide children with a healthy foundation for learning to read and it may prevent dyslexia. At the same time, it can support and enhance the reading comprehension of school-age children. A book of this kind is also very helpful for children who have difficulty expressing themselves verbally.