The Meaningful Silence

John Burningham is a renowned British picture book writer.He has won many awards such as the Kate Greenaway Prize and the Kurt Maschler Award for his works such as Borka,Mr.Gumpy’s Outing and Grandpa.John Burningham’s creation of picture books has formed a unique style,and the art of multiple types of tension in picture books is also highlighted to the fullest.Tension is a conflict or friction between complementary,opposite and opposing objects,which is reflected in a special dialectical relationship.Its opposites are polar opposites;its unity is a two-way unification.The tension in Burningham’s work is reflected in three main sets of relationships: literature and image,imagination and reality,adults and children.Within the literature and image,we can explore the meaning brought by tension from the perspectives of language,narration,structure and color.Between literature and images,they are heterogeneous,check and balance each other,and cooperate with each other.Tension is a process of "being or not being" inside and outside the text and picture: from the things appearing in the picture book to the endless hidden things that are not present-it is the latter that expands the interpretation space for the former and creates endless aesthetic enjoyment for readers.When the tension between text and picture expands the interpretation space,we can clearly see that Burningham’s works constantly present magnificent imagination world.There is an interactive relationship between imagination and reality.Imagination is a flight away from the presence of reality.Reality provides the necessary resources for imagination,allowing children to make imaginative reconstructions based on real space.Imagination and reality are intertwined and pulled together at the end of the picture book and in the medium.Ultimately,however,the imagination returns to reality,carrying with it the children’s multiple visions.Standing behind imagination and reality are adults and children,who stand in a "relative" position.Burningham’s works reveal the reality of the power difference between adults and children.Adults often give children disciplinary education in the name of "love",while children reproduce their power relations in imitation and resistance,and realize their subjective growth in the process.On this basis,Burningham tried to empower the vulnerable children,so that the silent children could defend themselves.