Gorgeous Children's Books Spreads
IlloGuild Question #4
Each month members of the IlloGuild are answering a question together, and this month it is: What spread from a picture book do you love the most, or what spread inspires you the most?
Such a great question! A tough one, though, because how do you narrow it down? There are so many gorgeous spreads out there, so I’ve chosen three from two illustrators I admire.
One spread that immediately stuck out in my memory is the final page from Lunch at 10 Pomegranate Street illustrated by Felicita Sala. Take a look:
Here’s what I love about this spread:
The feeling of community and togetherness!
That there is a storyline for every character, and you can’t stop looking around at all the interactions
How full the page feels
How the greenery is textured with large swatches of color and geometric line work to fill the page with life
I’m also a huge David Roberts fan, so I’ve chosen two spreads from his book Bear Spotting. This book is popular with my students and a favorite of mine! I bought it while visiting my sister in Maine. Let’s take a look at a spread:
I admire how David Roberts created the forest in this spread. The space looks full with all the trees. Notice how there are a few trees in the foreground and the rest are on the same horizon line in the background. The trees don’t get smaller or disappear into the distance, but by having a few slanted, overlapping trees and a few in the foreground, we are clearly in a dense forest. It’s such a smart way to create a dense space without needing to draw every single realistic detail of perspective.
Here’s the next page in Bear Spotting:
Look at all that white space! Yet we are fully aware this scene happens in the middle of the forest. Genius. David Roberts always uses white space so well, and even though I loved how lush and full Felicita Sala’s garden scene was, I also am so drawn to this masterful use of the blank page.
Plus having the static tree on both pages while moving the characters creates a comic element. You can’t help but smile!
Could you also flip through picture books all day? What picture books do you admire? Maybe you have a favorite spread too. Let me know, so I can add some new books my my library list!
Thanks so much for reading and see you next week for some more discussion about children’s illustration!
- Katie
I love your selection, Katie!
Great choices!