Compositional and interpersonal analysis of the picture book Stella brings the family: deconstructing affection

Resumen

• This study attempts to carry out an analysis of the compositional and interpersonal metafunctions of the picture book Stella brings the family (2015). The analytical tools employed in this study are based on the model for reading visual narratives proposed by Painter, Martin and Unsworth (2013) and on Kress and van Leeuwen’s Visual Social Semiotics (2021), which are useful models for the analysis of multimodal texts. The compositional and interpersonal analysis intends to deepen the deconstruction of meaning in the picture book and how the characters express affection. The compositional analysis reveals that the visual and the written text are complementary and that the different focus groups highlight the characters. The types of themes and the layout foreground the protagonist Stella. In addition, from an interpersonal perspective, the analysis reveals that Stella has more physical contact with one of her fathers, which suggests that Stella has a closer relationship with him. The compositional and interpersonal meanings contribute to establishing a close connection with readers so that they identify with Stella’s problem of not having a mother to celebrate Mother’s Day.