Blurred vision : The divergence and intersection of illustrations in children's books

In the evolving world of children’s literature, lines get blurred as formats and genres shift and adapt to the demands of readers and society as a whole. Nowhere is this more the case than in illustrations found within children’s literature. Illustrations, and visuals, play an integral role in children’s literature. In this article, the authors describe an emerging trend that comes from the convergence of picture books, comics and graphic novels. They identify this new genre as blended narrative, in which visual and textual media equally share the burden of storytelling. Specific titles from children’s literature are highlighted to showcase examples of blended narratives.