In the theoretical section of the diploma thesis entitled “Role of Illustrations in Picture Books from the Perspective of Children, Parents and Pre-School Teachers” I first define the concept of a picture book, then mention and describe its basic functions, levels of difficulty, and typology. I write about the characteristics of quality children's literature and define the importance of reading and the role of an adult. The survey I conducted among parents and pre-school teachers, which is described in the empirical section of the thesis, partly relates to this area. I have defined the concept of an illustration, briefly describing its history and importance. I have defined what makes a quality book illustration and mentioned the criteria for determining the quality of an illustration. I have touched on the role of colours in culture and their symbolism, and of colours in children's book illustration. I have defined the concept of memory, listing and describing the types of memory (sensory, short-term, working and long-term memory). I also write about forgetting and memory in children, as I have researched this topic with pre-school children in connection with colours in children's book illustration.
In the empirical section, I describe the survey I conducted through one-on-one work and talks with pre-school children. I researched how a black-and-white or colour illustration affects the retention of information from a picture book. I also researched which of these illustrations children are more drawn to or in favour of. The results have shown that children are more drawn to a colour illustration. It has been determined that an illustration in colour has a positive impact on the retention of information; differences are most visible in remembering the colours themselves and in the lastingness of the information retained. Although on average the children who had read a black-and-white picture book memorized some information better immediately after reading it, two weeks later retention was better in the children who had read a colour picture book. Two survey questionnaires were used to research which criteria for selecting picture books are highlighted by parents and which by pre-school teachers. The results indicate that parents and pre-school teachers find the quality of the text the most important, followed by the story and moral, and lastly by the look and style of the illustrations. Parents also rated the importance of price; according to their responses, it is the least important criterion.
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