Theories of Children’s Psychology

According to Singgih D. Gunarsa (2004, p.1), A word „psychology‟ consists of the word psyche, which means soul and knowledge. Psychology is considered as a subject that learns about the behavior of human. The behavior of human is formed through their interactions with the environment, so in psychology, we will learn about human‟s reactions towards different environment, whose reactions are in a form of their behavior. 

Angela Widjaja S. Psi, a psychologist and counselor who is experienced in her field for 12 years, stated that children are interested in colors and pictures. This works as well in picture books. Thus, giving children picture books to read will bring positive effects to them. 

By reading picture books, children can learn about emotions and moral messages. Picture books are beneficial as well in improving their intelligence and language. 

Features of Picture Book 

A picture book for young children has some features (Sutherland, 1997): 

· Present the story line in a brief and straightforward manner 

· Contains a limited number of concepts / ideas 

· Contains a concept or idea that is understandable for children 

· Provide texts written in a direct and simple way 

· Provides illustrations that balance the texts 

Furthermore, picture books have simple plots, and commonly consist of more or less 200 words, with 32 pages long. 

As Ramayana picture book is intended for children, therefore, the picture book should be simple, straightforward, and understandable.

Share this post