Is a story still literature if it doesn’t contain any words?

I am a teacher-librarian for English language learners (ELL) across grades one to nine in Saudi Arabia. As such, the breadth of digital narratives reviewed reflects the breadth of learning that takes place in an ELL classroom throughout these grades. As such, a good text serves different purposes depending on the language development of the student. However, as a general rule, a good digital text incorporates digital affordances that do not distract or take away from the story (Combes, 2016; Yokota & Teale, 2014). Furthermore, these digital affordances must add to the narrative creating something greater than the physical book itself. I enjoyed exploring in-depth the non-linear narratives in the Earplay app although I would not consider it to be a prerequisite of a digital text.

It is important to keep in mind that digital texts should serve a purpose and support the narrative being told. An analogy would be the purpose of background music in films; the purpose being to support the story and help create powerful emotions. The scene of a grand romantic gesture at the end of a romantic comedy is not as moving without music and jarring with the wrong music. The same can be said for digital texts, the digital inclusions should support the story to create something greater than what could have been as a paper book, rather than distracting and removing the reader from the narrative (Combes, 2016).

Khan Academy Kids is an app that I have used both in school for students who have very little understanding of the English language and out of school for my three-year-old son who is learning to count, read and trace his letters. I learned to read by physical book, practising with a parent, teacher or teacher-aid cemented the skill over the years. I enjoyed listening to audiobooks as a child and would spend hours on the floor or bed, playing and listening to a story on my tape deck. As I have kids of my own now, I am only beginning to understand the time that was invested in teaching me and my six siblings to read. The thought of ‘chucking on an app’ would have been abhorrent to my mother, yet I can definitely see the benefit of a well-selected app. Khan Academy Kids represents a well-selected and appropriate app for my sons, the eldest of whom is beginning to read blended sounds, thanks to the app.

As an adult, I love reading on my Kindle; I find most other digital texts very distracting. The greatest part is my vocabulary is constantly developing thanks to the inbuilt dictionary. I’m also able to easily (although I don’t) download and read in Spanish (my second language). That said, I have fond memories (prior to having children) of winter days spent curled up on the couch, enjoying a cup of tea or Milo and nursing a Robin Hobb epic in my lap.

Earplay along with AudioJack are apps I discovered after purchasing a pair of Bose headphones in 2019. If you’d like, you can read about my experience of trying to find these apps after removing and not using them since 2020.

Even though I did not review AudioJack as it is no longer AR functional, I thoroughly enjoyed exploring it and experiencing the ‘audio-free movies’. I can see multiple in its use in a classroom. Firstly, simply as calming music or during lesson change times to reengage and focus the students on the learning. I can also foresee using it as a creative writing prompt in English lessons. Often pictures or words or phrases are used as creative writing prompts, however, this does nothing to aid the students who enjoy experiencing the world through their ears. In the library, it could be played to generate discussion around what constitutes literature and story-telling.

When I began this subject, my view of digital literature was limited to eBooks and interactive eBooks, but the more I read the more I came to understand how vast digital literature really is. Stories in many tribes around the world remain a combination of song, dance and music. A series of illustrations can tell a story without a single word. A conglomeration of artistically arranged sounds can story that resonates uniquely with each listener.

Is that unique story still literature?

References:

Combes, B. (2016). Digital Literacy: A New Flavour of Literacy or Something Different? Synergy (Carlton, Vic.), 14(1).

Yokota, J., & Teale, W. H. (2014). Picture books and the digital age: Educators making informed choices. The Reading teacher, 67(8), 577-585. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1262