The materiality of the children's book: paratexts and the reading experience in “O jardim lá fora”, de Maira Chiodi

Abstract

Reading occurs through the relationship between the reader and the book-object, when its materiality brings colors, shapes, textures, letter formats, and images that allow for interaction and reading action. This text focuses on the paratexts in children's literature books, reflecting on how such typographical and editorial devices can motivate the reader, guiding them through the pages of the work. Therefore, this research investigates the production of the work "O jardim lá fora", by Maira Chiodi, aiming to highlight the relevance of the paratexts that compose the book's materiality and how these are conceived by the author, illustrator, or publisher to contribute to reader comprehension. To this end, a qualitative research approach is presented, based on the description of reading features present in the paratexts of a children's literature work. This study is based on the contributions of Chartier (1996, 2002) on the materiality of the book, Genette (2009) on paratexts, and Goulart (2014, 2016) on the relationship between the reader and the book through materiality. It is noteworthy that understanding what the materiality of the book represents for the author, the illustrator, or even the publisher follows specific objectives; while the author is concerned with the narrative essence, whether of the written text or the images, the publisher verifies the reader's receptiveness to the work.