For example, Molly shows how a triangle’s sharpness sends a completely different message than a rounded shape. Yet changing the triangle’s color, placement on the picture plain or relationship to another shape can completely change the response that triangle "character" evokes from the viewer. It’s fascinating to look through this book to feel the changes in your own responses. It’s a reminder all children’s book artists need every now and then as they struggle with how and what they are "saying" with their art. It’s helpful if you want to take your young viewer into a dangerous situation visually and bring him back to emotional safely by the end of the story.

As I mentioned in an earlier article, the words and pictures are a team in picture books. It’s a 50/50 partnership to tell the story and give an enchanted experience to a child. That is the magic and wonder of a truly great picture book. The ultimate goal is to imply something beyond the obvious and push the audience creatively along the story’s subtle journey. The conscious use of visual tools can make the difference between a merely good story and lastingly memorable one.