If reading is image-making, viewing is image-reading. The visual images which saturate the world of young people are a part, often a major part, of the tools they use to reflect upon and interpret their world. Videos are as important as books in confirming, illuminating, or extending the life experiences of those who perceive them. Perception is itself an interpretive act. Whether reading or viewing a story, perceivers both bring meaning to and take meaning from the symbol system in which that story is encoded. In the decoding process, therefore, readers recreate a unique and personal story. As young people watch film versions of other lives, they add shape and substance to their own.
The passage above is from Vandergrift, Kay E. and Jane Anne Hannigan. "Reading Images: Videos in the Library and Classroom," School Library Journal. Vol. 39, No. 1 (January 1993): 20-25.
A book by W. Carter Merbreier. Television: What's Behind What You See Illus. by Michael Chesworth. New York: Farrar Straus and Giroux, 1996 is a sound exploration of the technology and people behind what we see. Merbreier is Captain Noah, the host of his Philadelphia area children's show Captain Noah and His Magical Ark. This is the kind of book an entire family or a class of students might explore together for it leads to even more questions and does it with animation-style artwork that is right on target.
For those interested in videos of children's book writers and illustrators a separate site is maintained.
Videos will be added to this list from time to time. Each title is linked to additional information about that specific video and as more data emerges it will be added. Most of these films may be available in public library collections and school library media centers. If you wish to purchase any item, information about many producers/distributors is available at the media catalog page.
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To send mail to Kay E. Vandergrift Created February 27, 1996 and is continuously revised