Past and present of Croatian picture book in children's literature and publishing

Slikovnica pripada pravoj dječjoj književnosti jer zadovoljava određene kriterije. Pisana je za djecu, glavni junaci su djeca, životinje ili nešto njima blisko, te su od nakladnika ili knjižničara deklarirane kao dječje (Crnković i Težak 2002). Tema ovog rada je hrvatska slikovnica smještena u kontekst dječje književnosti i nakladništva u prošlosti i danas. Povezanost slike i priče, jedinstvo narativnog i likovnog osobitost je slikovnica. Zanimljiva, literarno vrijedna te likovno atraktivna slikovnica pruža čitatelju ili gledatelju posebno estetsko-spoznajno zadovoljstvo. Obzirom da se u Hrvatskoj slikovnica kao žanr zadnjih godina stavlja na margine ili minorizira, cilj ovog rada je osvijestiti postojanje kvalitetne slikovnice zbog svih mogućnosti i dobrobiti koje posjeduje, aktualizirati njezinu ulogu i značajke u dječjoj književnosti, te trenutni položaj u hrvatskom nakladništvu dječje knjige, ali i potaknuti na istraživanja u umjetničkim, književnim i u znanstvenim područjima. Djeca, koja su od najranije dobi okružena slikovnicama i znaju njezine prave vrijednosti, najčešće postanu vrsni samostalni čitatelji. Slikovnice pridonose stvaranju lijepih uspomena, koje će djeca pamtiti cijeli život.A picture book belongs to true children’s literature because it meets certain criteria: it is written for children, the main characters are children, animals, or such, and they are classified as children’s books by publishers and librarians (Crnković & Težak, 2002). The topic of this thesis is past and present Croatian picture book as a part of children’s literature and publishing. Picture book is the first book a child is introduced to. The connection between the picture and the story, as well as the narrative and illustration, is what truly characterizes a picture book. Picture book is an interesting literature piece with inviting illustrations, which satisfies aesthetic and cognitive needs as well. Taking into an account that picture books are being marginalized in the past years in comparison to its literature counterparts, it is of significant importance to raise an awareness about the importance of a quality picture book with all its potential to influence children and children’s literature and publishing. In order to encourage research of children’s books impact from scientific and artistic standpoint, it is a paramount to recognize the importance of picture books in Croatian publishing. Children who are exposed to picture books at an early age, most often become independent readers. Picture books contribute to the creation of beautiful childhood memories, which would be remembered for a lifetime