Another theme found in picture book illustration is that vertical shapes are more exciting and are supposed to add energy to an image. As author and artist Molly Bang stipulates: trees, mountains, and buildings required a lot of energy to grow or build and thus will release a lot of energy if they fall. She claims that, �vertical structures are monuments to kinetic energy of the past and the future, and to potential energy of the present.� (Bang 44) Again this seems rather obvious. Carpeted floors and grassy plains are not generally places of tremendous action. Big cities and wooded jungles are where the action is. Along with a vertical shape theme, there is also a color corollary. Illustrators can use simple color schemes of only a few primary colors to illicit slow, quiet images. Using complicated color schemes with many different, brighter colors shows excitement and energy. Deeper colors, often red, purple, or black will project images of wildness, fear and action. (Marantz 12) These themes can be seen in many books, specifically Where the Wild Things Are, Crockett Johnson's Harold and the Purple Crayon and Verna Aardema and Leo and Diane Dillon's Why Mosquitos Buzz in People's Ears.

From Where the Wild Things Are, copyright Harper and Row, 1970.

     In this image from Where the Wild Things Are, Sendak shows the room changing as the action steps up. The trees growing in the room show the raising level of adventure and energy.

From Where the Wild Things Are, copyright Harper and Row, 1970.

     After a few pages, the room gives way entirely to forest and Max is able to travel to where the wild things are. Notice here not only the presence of trees and the height of the monsters but also the darker and wilder coloring scheme. All of these factors play a part in establishing the mood of the "wild rumpus".

From Harold and the Purple Crayon, copyright Harper Collins, 1955.

     This image, from Harold and the Purple Crayon, shows Harold drawing a mountain.

From Harold and the Purple Crayon, copyright Harper Collins, 1955.

     On the following page, we see the direct result. Although Johnson has chosen a basic color scheme of only black, white, and purple for his book, he can still use the vertical theme to bring action and enrgy into his work. As stated above, a height evokes images of kinetic energy and potential energy. In this scene. Harold uses energy to climb the mountain and the potential energy is realized when he falls from the summit.

From Why Mosquitos Buzz in People's Ears, copyright Dial Books, 1975.

     When a book does use a shape theme to produce energy, it can rely exclusively on the color corollary. In this image from Why Mosquitos Buzz in People's Ears, we see a vibrant mix of colors that gives the story a lively, energetic tone.

     Again, our story uses the same principals to achieve the same tone. Although the scenery is generally calm and serene, the characters and their games are lively and colorful. The veritcal shape theme is also used in the form of the tree. It is an obvious vertical image that becomes a source of energy and action in the form of a game. The game, of course, is only possible because the medium used is an interactive animation instead of a book but the still images still follow the same rules.

From Adventures in the Alphabet Ocean, copyright 2004.

     It is something to be sought after, from the calmness of the island the animals are on to the energy and fun of the tree and the other island. Without the image, there is no feasible reason for the animals to want to go there.