How pictures and layout tell the story

English · Reading Comprehension · ages 10-11

Name ______________________ Date ____________

In her comic, Ana draws the moment a balloon pops as one huge panel that fills the whole page. The page has nothing else on it. What does this one big panel most likely do?
- It makes the pop feel quick and jumpy
- It hides the pop from the reader
- It makes the pop feel slow and important
In a graphic novel, what can illustrations help you understand better?
- How a character feels
- Only the page number
- The name of the author
Illustrations in a graphic novel can show a character's feelings without using any words.
Circle one: True False
Which visual choice would most help show a scary scene?
- Bright, cheerful colours
- Dark colours and sharp shadows
- A large, friendly font
A poem describes a lonely lighthouse. Beside the poem, the illustrator draws one small light far out at sea, with empty grey sky all around it. What does all that empty grey space add?
- It fills the page so the page is not blank
- It makes the lighthouse feel even more alone
- It shows where the poet lives
A comic splits an action scene into six small, tightly packed panels. What effect does this layout choice most likely create?
- A slow, peaceful mood
- A fast, chaotic mood
- No effect on mood at all
An illustrator draws a beach scene using soft blues and lots of open white space in the layout. What tone does this most likely create?
- Peaceful and calm
- Angry and tense
- Rushed and chaotic
In three panels, Mateo draws a girl waiting on a bench. In each panel the sun sits lower in the sky. Nothing else changes. What do these three panels mostly show?
- The girl running faster and faster
- Three different towns on the same day
- Time slowly passing while she waits
Near the end of a graphic novel, a lost dog gets closer and closer to home. Page by page, the panels get brighter and warmer in color. Why did the artist most likely make this change?
- Because the artist ran out of dark paint
- To make the pages harder to read
- To let the growing hope show in the colors
Jayden says illustrations in graphic novels only look nice and never change how the story feels. Which example proves Jayden wrong?
- A page where a character's clenched fists and a red-tinted panel show hidden anger the words never mention
- A page number printed in the corner
- The publisher's logo on the back cover

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

How pictures and layout tell the story W1-mt_xsk3iuNVVI-s1

It makes the pop feel slow and important · One big panel freezes the moment, so the pop feels slow and important instead of quick.
How a character feels · Pictures show feelings through faces, posture, and colour, often things the words never spell out.
True · A drawn face, posture, or colour choice can carry emotion all on its own.
Dark colours and sharp shadows · Dark colours and sharp shadows are visual tools artists use to build a tense or scary tone.
It makes the lighthouse feel even more alone · The tiny light lost in all that empty space makes the lighthouse look small and alone, matching the poem.
A fast, chaotic mood · Many small panels make the eye jump quickly from one to the next, which speeds up the feel of the action.
Peaceful and calm · Soft colours and open space usually slow the reader down and feel calm, the opposite of a cramped, busy page.
Time slowly passing while she waits · The sinking sun across the panels shows time passing while everything else stays the same.
To let the growing hope show in the colors · As the dog nears home, the brightening colors let the reader feel the hope growing before any words say so.
A page where a character's clenched fists and a red-tinted panel show hidden anger the words never mention · The clenched fists and red tint reveal a feeling the words alone left out, so the art is doing real storytelling work.