Children’s illustration: what should children see?

The illustrator must show the clues needed to connect the action; I advise leaving children to develop the interpretations those clues make possible. To decide how to share this work, start with what the words make accessible, then look for the gesture, gaze or spatial relationship that gives readers a way to grasp the implicit meaning.

I begin by understanding the text, its reader and the role of the image. The first sketches help determine what will be shown, suggested or left to the words. Once the direction is approved, I refine the drawing, light, texture and colour; these decisions give a series a shared framework.¹ I advise defining how the story moves forward before choosing the elements to draw: what changes, what triggers that change and what the reader needs to be able to connect. This reading gives each visual choice a reason. A setting, posture or object deserves its place when it contributes to that movement.

Key takeaways

To distribute information, I distinguish between what must be understood to follow the action and what can remain open to interpretation. The first category calls for accessible clues. The second allows several readings. This distinction makes room for uncertainty while keeping a clear direction for the scene.
The choice of clues deserves a discussion about the knowledge expected of the reader. Interpreting a prop or situation may require particular familiarity. I prefer to examine this expectation with the author: what experience does the book assume, and what other clue could make the connection accessible within the scene itself?
To adjust a scene’s hierarchy, I advise considering the size of its elements, their contrasts and their positions together. The choice involves giving visual priority to the intended action. A secondary detail can retain its intricacy while taking up less space in the overall organisation of the page.
A reveal is prepared by deciding what the reader sees before the character, at the same time as them or after them. I advise choosing this viewing perspective when planning the page sequence. The framing and page turn can then be designed around that precise moment of discovery.
A response you gather deserves to be reviewed in light of the question asked and the clues actually shown. I advise distinguishing difficulty following the action from a personal interpretation of the emotion. Revision can then focus on the connection the story needs, while preserving the possibilities you want to leave open to the reader.

Contents

How do you decide which information the illustration should convey?
Which clues should you leave to help readers understand an intention?
Is a highly detailed illustration a good choice?
How do you examine the relationship between the pages of a book?
What should you look at in an initial dummy?
What should you tell the illustrator about implicit meaning?

How do you decide which information the illustration should convey?

I would entrust the illustration with information that a gesture, position or relationship between characters can accurately convey in this scene. To decide, define the connection the reader needs to make, then examine the text and sketch together: what distribution gives each form of expression a precise function in the story? To distribute information, I distinguish between what must be understood to follow the action and what can remain open to interpretation. The first category calls for accessible clues. The second allows several readings. This distinction makes room for uncertainty while keeping a clear direction for the scene.

In its May 2017 resource for educational cycles 2 to 4, Éduscol describes implicit meaning in text as requiring rephrasing or the linking of clues. This linking can bring together several elements of the text, or connect an element of the text with other knowledge. The explanation concerns constructing information from the text.² The choice of clues deserves a discussion about the knowledge expected of the reader. Interpreting a prop or situation may require particular familiarity. I prefer to examine this expectation with the author: what experience does the book assume, and what other clue could make the connection accessible within the scene itself?

Reading with an adult and independent reading call for a decision about the role of adult speech. I recommend specifying the intended reading mode in the brief. Then choose the connections the page must convey itself and the topics you want to leave available for a conversation about the book.

Which clues should you leave to help readers understand an intention?

To allow readers to infer an intention, I would choose clues connected to what the character looks at, approaches or holds back. Gaze, body direction and the relationship to an object are compositional possibilities to examine together. Keep the clues that support the intended meaning while allowing a personal reading. It helps to think of an emotion as a relationship between the face, the body and the situation. I recommend looking for the gesture that suits the character: a hand held back, a distance, an orientation. Then choose the degree of expression needed for this scene, leaving room for personal interpretation.

I learned to draw from life and to construct a figure. This learning also covers anatomy, light, perspective, volume and composition. It therefore brings together observation of the subject, construction of the figure and an understanding of its place in space.³ In my scene of the little girl with her dog, the lead, the orientation of the body and the line of the path organise the relationship between the foreground and the village. In my images of Tigrette and Lionard, the silhouettes are more graphic and colourful; each character retains a distinct direction and action.⁴

In a fictional example, a character says “I’m ready” while keeping their hand on a door handle. The text conveys their declaration; the gesture leaves a hesitation to interpret. To draw this scene, I would give priority to the hand and the orientation of the body, then choose a setting that fits this tension. Irony requires deciding which discrepancy the reader is invited to notice between the words and the image. I recommend making this discrepancy recognisable through a sufficiently precise gesture or action. The editorial work then involves choosing whether this reading is essential to the story or offers an additional discovery.

Clues that support understanding benefit from remaining accessible to different ways of reading a scene. I advise examining gestures, distances and positions alongside facial expressions. This exploration offers several routes through the composition and allows you to choose those that suit the character and the situation.

Is a highly detailed illustration a good choice?

A highly detailed illustration is a good choice when its richness serves the atmosphere or the intended discoveries and maintains a clear priority for the action. I would assess it with its text and at its intended size. The decision concerns the hierarchy of elements and the room you want to give readers to explore the scene.

In their study published in 2016 involving children aged 4 to 6, Takacs and Bus observe that details simultaneously highlighted by the text receive the most visual attention. When these details are animated, they receive more attention than the same details in static illustrations.⁵ I recommend assigning details a function before keeping them: a clue to the setting, a clue to the action, atmosphere or a motif to find again. This way of reviewing a composition provides criteria for choosing. The richness of a scene can then be built around a main focal point, with secondary discoveries placed at a different scale.

To adjust a scene’s hierarchy, I advise considering the size of its elements, their contrasts and their positions together. The choice involves giving visual priority to the intended action. A secondary detail can retain its intricacy while taking up less space in the overall organisation of the page. The setting deserves to be drawn with its relationship to the action in mind: where the characters are, what they can reach and what separates them. I favour reference points chosen for this scene. Density can vary according to the moment in the story, with more space around a gesture that calls for attention.

How do you examine the relationship between the pages of a book?

To examine the relationship between pages, I would track what changes and the clues that make the situation recognisable. Look at the paths of objects, the characters’ positions and the timing of reveals. The sequence also deserves a reading of its rhythm: which pages call for a pause, and which invite readers to continue?

On my Books page, the 2 covers and the scenes from Tigrette & Lionard present connections between characters, colour and linework from one page to the next. This selection allows these elements to be viewed together: the covers and scenes are the examples I present to show these connections.⁶ The Books page presents a composition and the Mère et fille lapins sequence to show the role of gestures, gazes and pauses in storytelling. There, I approach illustration in terms of continuity: these examples bring together the elements through which I present a story’s rhythm.⁶

To examine a sequence of images, I recommend tracking the objects involved in the action: their presence, their position and their passage between characters. This review focuses on the relationships the story requires readers to understand. Each relevant movement deserves an explicit choice, even when the text leaves its path implicit. A reveal is prepared by deciding what the reader sees before the character, at the same time as them or after them. I advise choosing this viewing perspective when planning the page sequence. The framing and page turn can then be designed around that precise moment of discovery.

What should you look at in an initial dummy?

In an initial dummy, I would look at how the storytelling is shared between the text, images and page turns. Examine the placement of the words, the framing and the connections between scenes in the intended format. These choices provide specific points for discussion before devoting more attention to finishing the drawing. I advise looking at the dummy with the text in place and in the intended format. The question concerns the complete composition: the space for the drawing, the placement of the words and the relationship to the fold. A sketch can be discussed through these relationships before refining the texture or finishing effects.

For published illustrators applying for the Don Freeman Grant in 2026, SCBWI requires a dummy containing the entire text, sketches for the whole story and 2 finished illustrations. The submission must show atmosphere, action, characterisation and an understanding of the story’s pacing.⁷ In its production advice published in July 2018, IngramSpark recommends having a manuscript you are satisfied with and that has been properly edited. According to this advice, changing the words after the illustrations have been completed can cause problems.⁸

To gather a child’s interpretation, I recommend an open invitation to describe what is happening. A follow-up can focus on the clue they noticed: “What makes you think that?” The editorial value lies in hearing the connections this child proposes and comparing them with the choices planned for the scene. A response you gather deserves to be reviewed in light of the question asked and the clues actually shown. I advise distinguishing difficulty following the action from a personal interpretation of the emotion. Revision can then focus on the connection the story needs, while preserving the possibilities you want to leave open to the reader.

What should you tell the illustrator about implicit meaning?

Regarding implicit meaning, tell the illustrator what readers need to understand to follow the story and what you want to leave open. Include the assumed knowledge and the intended reading mode. I recommend expressing these intentions as storytelling problems to solve, with room to explore the composition.

When giving feedback on a sketch, I prefer to describe the problem with interpretation and the intended effect. “The gesture of departure must remain perceptible” provides a criterion for discussion. The illustrator can then propose a response through framing, posture or composition, retaining room to resolve the scene as a whole. When an author and illustrator disagree, I recommend returning to the information the scene needs to convey. Each can explain the connection they want to make perceptible and the interpretations they are willing to leave open. The decision is then based on the passage’s role in the story and the proposed drawing.

Frequently asked questions

Should every sentence in the text be illustrated?

I advise against illustrating every sentence as a matter of principle, because I prefer to give the image a deliberately chosen function in the story. Repetition can help emphasise a moment; another scene may call for a different visual contribution. Decide according to the action, the emotion and the passage’s place in the sequence.

How do you show an emotion without naming it?

To show an emotion without naming it, I would work on gesture, gaze and the distance between characters in relation to the situation. Choose the degree of expression that suits the moment depicted. The editorial aim may be to make a tension perceptible while leaving readers free to put it into their own words.

How do you choose where details belong in a scene?

I would choose where details belong according to their function in the scene: main action, reference point, atmosphere or secondary discovery. The composition can give them different degrees of presence through size, contrast and position. First decide which element readers need to encounter to understand the moment depicted, then organise the others around it.

How do you gather a child’s interpretation?

To gather a child’s interpretation, I recommend asking what is happening and what makes them think so. Listen to the connections they make between the words and the drawn elements. Then review this exchange, distinguishing their understanding of the action, their emotional interpretations and the influence of your own follow-up prompts.

Sources

Nicole Hénusse, Illustrator and author