We can tell children what to think or we can empower them with tools to think of their own.
Why ambiguity in a children's story?
If something is ambiguous, it can be interpreted in multiple ways or the exact meaning is not explicitly defined. Navigating ambiguity requires noticing...noticing details that support or lead to an interpretation. It not only requires careful attention to visual information, it also presupposes a general understanding of the larger picture which requires a synthesis of the information already obtained.
Your Never-Ending Story series attempts to help young children make their own interpretations. It maintains a certain level of ambiguity quite on purpose. Take for instance, the wolf and rabbit in the photo above. Can we make the assumption that the wolf does not eat rabbits? Not Necessarily.
Your Never-Ending Story series attempts to help young children make their own interpretations. It maintains a certain level of ambiguity quite on purpose. Take for instance, the wolf and rabbit in the photo above. Can we make the assumption that the wolf does not eat rabbits? Not Necessarily.
I wonder if the wolf knows the rabbit is behind him? I wonder if they are both too scared of the fire to worry about one another. Either answer is possible and by offering simple prompts, we can evoke an entire thinking process. Simply by saying, "Look at this. Don't wolves eat rabbits? What do you think is going on here?" This is, of course, if the child has not already noticed this small absurdity in the story.
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