Primary Research

For primary research we went to Dunstable library and looked in the children section. Here we got inspiration, looked at existing children's characters, and saw what appeals to children both good and bad. One thing that was featured in a lot of the books aimed at really young children that are learning to read, was different textures sticking out from the page, as appose to just 2D text and imagery. This provides a third element to reading and involves the reader more as they get to touch the different materials. Some examples can be seen below:

(furry tail)

(furry stomach)

(soft ears)

(stringy tail)

(shiny bucket)

(furry ears)

(rough nose)

(furry ears)

Another unique thing some books had were windows within the actual pages so you can see the next page.

In the children's section there is an explosion of color compared to the rest of the library. There are lots of things to entertain the children such as colorful rugs, seats, and book holders. Another thing I noticed was the alphabet sections of books. Each letter marking a section had a image to support it. For example the 'O' section had an 'orange' and the 'K' section had a kite. All these things make reading and learning a more fun experience.

I also took some pictures of books describing the water cycle to see how they conveyed the information to a young audience. From these I can pick out whats good and bad and learn from this before I design my poster. For example the page with a colored background (blue), lots of images and clear arrows is much more eye catching and has clearer information that a young child would be able to understand. This is much more effective than the pages that have large paragraphs of text and small images which will deter children.