Do you see what I see?

With a whoosh and a whir, the 30,000 or so people who attended the American Library Association (opens in a new window) annual conference have returned to their normal lives and work, ending an almost week-long whirlwind in downtown Washington, D.C.

One of the best parts for me was the chance to spend some time with Gene Yang, author of Chinese Born American (opens in a new window)(First Second), winner of the Printz Award (opens in a new window). The book is among the first graphic novels for young people to win a major award.

The care, thought, and passion for his art and audience were apparent — as was Yang’s respect for other creators of books for young readers. While Chinese Born American is for slightly older readers (I’d say 12 and up), Yang sees similar techniques used in picture books, most notably, Flotsam (opens in a new window) by David Wiesner (Clarion), the 2007 Caldecott Medal winner.

As children become more visually savvy, it seems the techniques used by artists to convey meaning merge, regardless of specific form — graphic novel or picture book. And while these books give the appearance of rapid movement, their form — the book — doesn’t move, so readers can look, and look again, and again.

With Flotsam, children can tell their own story: it’s wordless. And the story changes with each reader. Just share it with different kids to find out for yourself. Stories are interpreted through each person’s experiences and preferences, and in how each “reads” the images.

Just goes to show we often see things differently even when we think we’re looking at the same thing. Interesting, huh? Yet another life lesson in books.