Verbálno-vizuálne stratégie v obrazových knihách tomiho kontia a Eliny Warsta ako prostriedky rozvíjania literárno-vizuálnej gramotnosti
Verbal–visual strategies in the picturebooks by Tomi Kontio and Elina Warsta as means of developing literary–visual literacy

Summary/Abstract: Social exclusion is a complex phenomenon that is often marginalized in children’s literature. Picturebooks, however, provide a unique medium for exploring such themes, as they combine literary and visual storytelling to communicate multilayered meanings. This study aims to examine the verbal-visual strategies that address the theme of social exclusion in two selected picturebooks A Dog Called Cat (2023) and The Dog Called Cat Meets a Cat (2024) by acclaimed Finnish author Tomi Kontio and illustrator Elina Warsta. Using a multimodal analysis grounded in a social semiotic framework and inspired by Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) (Halliday, 1978) and the theory of visual design grammar (Kress, van Leeuwen, 2006), the research investigates how the interaction between text and illustration mediates the themes of marginality, belonging, and identity. Special attention is given to metaphorical imagery, spatial symbolism, and compositional strategies that reflect both human and animal experiences of social exclusion. The study also suggests that the analysis of these selected works can serve as a methodological foundation for interpreting picturebooks that use multimodal means to explore complex social phenomena. The research argues that these books represent valuable tools for fostering literary-visual literacy and the ability of young readers to interpret social and emotional meanings in multimodal texts.

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