Using The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick as an example, demonstrate how pictures and words can be used to tell a sophisticated story which might be engaging to children as well as adults. Use academic secondary sources where appropriate to support your discussion. These must be properly referenced in APA format, both in-text and in the list of references at the end of your essay.

Adults and children approach a book with different expectations, thus in order for a book to be appealing to all age groups, it must satisfy these requirements. The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick, is one such book and this is largely due to Selznick’s masterful handling of both texts and pictures.  

Possibly, the most notable aspect of the book is how the visual and textual features work together. The images not only illustrate the book but they also tell the story independently. The reader is compelled to keep switching back and forth between these two mediums, which communicate different information in different ways (Mallan, 1999, p.27). The reader has to interact with both these mediums (Jordan, 1992, p.116) and as Mallan (2002) notes, the more demanding the text and pictures are, the more the reader has to invest in the book. This keeps the story gripping and the reader interested, no matter the age group.

The visual outlay and film techniques used in the novel are another factor of interest.  Each page is thickly bordered, with black and white crosshatched illustrations being used to create a particular effect (Mallan, 1999, p.29) and in this case, it is the evoking of the period that the novel is set in. The book works very much like an early film, which complements the theme of celebrating the silent films of Melias. The text is separate from the pictures. It begins with a series of illustrations that move in from showing the city of Paris, to a close up of a boy in the train station. The action and chase sequences are usually portrayed through the pictures, and the author zooms in on the important focus at crucial points of the story. The book ends with a speech reminiscent of a voiceover in a film. Thus, in Hugo, the pictures tell so much more and “supplies narrative meaning that is not present …. in the written text alone” (Graham, 2005,p. 210). It becomes similar to a good film that all audiences can enjoy.

In addition to this, Hugo also appeals to all ages owing to its complexity.  The text is simple and sparse but it contains a lot of information. There is symbolism, such as the story of Prometheus or the idea of the world as a machine. On surface value, it is the story of a young thief, struggling to survive after losing his family, but if we go deeper, it is about hope, finding family, love, achievement, and creation. There is serious reflection in the novel, and one of the most profound statements is Hugo telling Isabella, “So I figure, if the entire world is a big machine, I have to be here for some reason” (Selznick, 2008, p. 378).  The protagonist is an ‘urban child’ who goes through much hardship to eventually reach a happy ending, which is a psychologically satisfying story (Harris, 2002, p. 63) and one that appeals to all.

To sum up, Selznick has crafted a text that is a merging of the chapter book and picture book formats. Through his innovative use of the textual and visual features, he has been able to create a classic that captures reader regardless of age.

References

Graham, J. (2005). Reading contemporary picture books . In Modern children's literature: An introduction. Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan, 209-226.

Harries, M. (2002). Bleak houses and secret cities: Alternative communities in young adult fiction. Children’s Literature in Education, 33(1), 63-76.

Jordan , B. (1992). "Good for any age" - picture books and the experienced reader. In Styles, M. et al (eds) After Alice: exploring children's literature. London : Cassell, pp. 113-125.

Mallan, K. (1999) In the picture: Perspectives on picture book art and artists. Wagga Wagga, NSW: Centre for Information Studies. pp.27-41.

Mallan, K. (2002). Picture books as performative texts: or how to do things with words and pictures. Papers: Explorations into Children’s Literature, 12(2), 26-37.

Zelznick, B., (2007). The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Scholastic press, New York.