ENG1516 Assignment 2 2025 – Due 28 May 2025

This assignment is based on Units 3 and 4 in Tutorial Letter 501. Work through these two
units before you attempt the assignment. Answer the questions below in full sentences.

QUESTION 1

1.1. Briefly explain three functions of illustrations in picture storybooks. (3)

Illustrations help convey the story: In many picture books, especially wordless or picturenarrative
books,
the
plot
is
told
entirely
through
images.
Even
in
picture
storybooks
with

some
text,
illustrations
often
advance
the
storyline
and
help
young
readers
understand

what
is
happening
(Fang,
1996:
133;
Nikolajeva,
2006:
6).

They

enhance emotional understanding: Illustrations especially close-ups and facial
expressions allow readers to perceive characters’ emotions more clearly. This deepens
their emotional connection to the story and helps develop empathy (Evans et al., 2017:
80).

They support visual literacy development: Illustrations expose children to visual elements
like line, colour, shape, and composition. These are essential for developing visual
literacy, an increasingly important skill in today’s media-rich world (Evans et al., 2017:
80–84; Hendry et al., 2011: 219–231).