Two illustrative styles, which can be appreciated throughout the entire book, are Naïve and Impressionism. Tunnell and Jacobs, in their article, “How To Recognize A Well-Illustrated Book,” define these two styles as ones that emphasize, “light, movement… being childlike… lacking perspective or a sense of proportion.” (33) Ward tactically manipulates these techniques, within each illustration, in such a mode that they compliment each other perfectly, as well as the text. A perfect example of these two can be found in the image of Ana at ten years old, dancing in her room to the music’s lively beat. The lack of proportion in the background is evident as well as the childlike design of each image. Bright colors used in this illustration, such as light blue and salmon, grab the reader’s attention and relate the image as being full of life. In addition, line designs are also used in this image to show Ana’s gleeful movement coupled with the flowing music emerging from the radio speakers. Personally, these manipulations in the illustrations intrigued and heightened my perception of the storyline and drove my desire to turn the pages to see what other delights …show more content…
The translations by Gabriela Baeza Ventura surely would be beneficial for those young readers who are in the process of transitioning to English as a second language. Being able to easily refer to both languages, as well as look at the illustrations that provide more aspects of what is occurring, increases the possibilities that they would indeed completely understand and appreciate the storyline from beginning to end. Not to mention, Tunnel and Jacobs were on target when they wrote, “Illustration in picture books is meant to delight, to capture attention, to tell a story or teach a concept, and to develop appreciation and awareness in children.” (30) This book definitely corresponded with the categories mentioned. The simple narrative, specifically the manner in which the breaks between lines were implemented, was truly designed with the objective of helping the reader pause, take in all of which Ana was emotionally envisioning, and relate to her character specifically. At other times, these breaks kept the reader intrigued to know more of what other responsibilities Ana was yearning to acquire. This reasoning can be appreciated every time, “And when Christmas comes around…,” is