First published in 1845, Edgar Allan Poe’s poem The Raven has inspired a generation of readers long disenchanted with traditional American literature. The raven relentlessly chanting the word „Nevermore“ symbolizes a tragic and eternal memory one cannot escape. Although „The Raven“ has become one of America‘s most famous poems, poems themselves play at best a very minor role in our domestic lives. Today‘s children live in a technological society where mass communication technologies and many outside-the-home activities contribute to the fact that very few are truly interested in poetry. Meanwhile, outside the home, school and its methods have discouraged children‘s love for poetry, dissecting every single word of the poem to the point where there is no room left for interpretation and children are left staring at a piece of mass-printed paper with a few highlighted words.
Picture books however have proven to be a good resource for literary education as they make great literature more attractive and understandable for children and young adults. The Raven is a book project I designed for children and young adults based on Poe‘s famous poem. The narration and illustrations form a unity and incorporate different visual narratives by supporting the reader‘s interpretation. The unstripped paper with a slight yellowed undertone and the cover made of canvas allow a story to be communicated through the book itself. The introduction of simple visual images provides an opportunity to share this poem in the classroom and maybe even at home, without taking away the room for imagination.
