Is It Better To Let Older Children Use Their Imagination Or Provide Pictures In Novels?
By the age of 11, it is probably better to let a child use their own imagination rather than providing pictures for novels. Illustrations are a good addition to a novel, but children don’t need them as much when they get older as they do when they are around 5-7 years old. Younger children get bored much more easily, so therefore need the pictures to hold their interest. As children get older, they will become more interested in the plot of a story and how they imagine the characters, whereas when they are younger, they won’t be as interested in the plot of a story. If older children can learn to use their own imagination, then they will be able to create their own pictures and stories more easily. Sometimes, when older children’s books do have pictures of characters, the child may end up creating their own version anyway.
