Exploring seventh-graders' interpretations of Anthony Browne's picturebook "Zoo" : a case study

Abstract

Picturebooks are generally associated with younger children and used to introduce different parts of the world to them. Authors of picturebooks have created a wide range of picturebooks, the intended audience of which is not limited to small children. Such books require a deeper understanding of imagery and require more complex levels of interpretation to fully learn the meaning of the picturebooks. The present MA thesis discusses seventh-graders’ responses to Anthony Browne’s picturebook Zoo to figure out how students interpret picturebooks. The thesis is divided into two main chapters – a literature review focusing on the notion of a picturebook and the use of picturebooks in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom, and an empirical study.