According to How Picturebooks Work, “pictures in picturebooks are complex iconic signs, and words in picturebooks are complex conventional signs” (Nikolajeva and Scott 1). In intraiconic text “the objects carry their words with them, creating a subtext within the pictures that competes with the standard text” (Nikolajeva and Scott 73). In Say Hello, intraiconic text, or text within the image, is present and widely important for establishing the setting.

While the protagonist and her mother walk down the vibrant city street, they meet Señor Enrico, the owner of the local Bodega. The spread on pages five through six is bright, vibrant, and made out of mixed medium collage. The setting of the diverse city street is bolstered by the presence of intraiconic text. The setting in this spread is a Bodega. Typed pieces of paper, intraiconic text, are part of the collage built background. Words such as pollo (chicken), arroz (rice), and cerdo (pork) are listed in the window of the store (Isadora 5-6). Having these words written in Spanish helps establish a complete and accurate picture of what one might actually see in the window of a Bodega. The including of intraiconic text helps to establish “a sense of time and place for the actions depicted” (Nikolajeva and Scott 61). Another way setting is established through intraiconic text is through the word “bienvenidos” (welcome) being written on top of the door. The setting is clearly established as a diverse and multicultural city.

Besides helping bolster the setting, the intraiconic text also addresses a specific type of reader: those that may have some knowledge of Spanish. The spread seems to address language learning. The text of “Buenos Dias” (good day) is written in red, setting it apart from the rest of the text. The intraiconic text catches readers attention as well as being slightly jarring. Readers may not expect to see typed words or excerpts from newspapers in the image as it is separate from the text of the story. The intraiconic text is catching to the eye while also continuing the theme of language learning.

Word Count: 344

Works Cited:

Isadora, Rachel. Say Hello!. Nancy Paulsen Books, 2017.

Nikolajeva, Maria, and Carole Scott. How Picturebooks Work. Vol. 1st pbk. ed, Routledge, 2006. EBSCOhost, search-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.simmons.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=536247&site=eds-live&scope=site.