VISUAL LITERACY, TEACHING AND SEMIOTIC PROCESSES: THE PICTURE BOOK AS A PEDAGOGICAL INSTRUMENT

Abstract

This paper aims to discuss the potential of picture books as a pedagogical tool in the visual literacy process, articulating the theoretical foundations of semiotics and the contemporary challenges of education. In a context in which visual stimuli predominate in the media and social practices, it becomes urgent to rethink the role of schools in the formation of critical and competent readers also in relation to visual codes. The research adopts a bibliographic review methodology, based on authors such as Dondis (2007), Santaella (2005), Rojo (2012) and Ramos (2011), among others, who discuss visual literacy, image reading and semiotic processes in teaching. The study also analyzes examples of picture books that explore complex visual narratives, requiring the reader to actively construct meanings from elements such as color, framing, facial expression and non-verbal narrative sequences. The results indicate that the use of picture books in the classroom favors the development of interpretative skills, the expansion of the aesthetic repertoire and sensitivity to different forms of communication. In addition, it contributes to more inclusive pedagogical practices, which value different modes of expression and understanding of the world. The research concludes that incorporating visual literacy as a systematic educational practice is essential to form multimodal readers, capable of moving critically between verbal and visual texts. Thus, the picture book, far from being just material for early childhood education, is configured as a powerful teaching tool in various stages of schooling.