Divi & Frey

Visual Storytelling Resource by Tony Flowers

Published 1st August 2026

You, Me, Community, written by Zanni Louise and illustrated by myself (Tony Flowers), uses poetic language and richly detailed artwork to explore how communities function and how individuals contribute to harmony and connection. The book has only been out for a couple of weeks, and with Book Week approaching, it felt like the perfect time to offer a deeper look at the story from an illustrator’s perspective. These notes and activities are designed to help teachers guide students in reading both the text narrative and the visual narrative, noticing how the words set the rhythm and mood while the illustrations reveal characters, actions, and the world of the story through visual clues and layered storytelling.

Isn’t it a joy when you pick up a picture book in which the text and illustrations are exactly right … This is honestly one of the loveliest picture books I’ve seen this year…

– Sue Warren (3/8/2026)

A visual feast about belonging and what community means from beloved creators Zanni Louise and Tony Flowers

Wheelers Books (2026)

Why listen to me? Apart from being the illustrator of You, Me, Community, I’ve spent years working as an illustrator, author, and educator here in Australia. I have a master’s degree in visual communication and teach design and creative thinking at the University, so I spend a lot of time helping people understand how images tell stories.

This resource supports key learning areas across English, Visual Arts, and Humanities:

Engaging with Literature

• Forming opinions about characters, settings, and events
• Comparing interpretations and justifying responses
• Discussing the social and aesthetic value of texts

Examining Literature

• Identifying metaphor, imagery, and symbolism
• Understanding how illustrations extend or deepen meaning
• Analysing layout, composition, and multimodal storytelling

Language

• Exploring figurative language such as metaphor, simile, and personification
• Understanding how visual techniques communicate abstract ideas

Literacy – Creating Texts

• Planning and producing multimodal texts
• Using extended metaphor and symbolic imagery
• Communicating themes of identity, community, and belonging

For the extended teaching notes that focus on visual storytelling and visual literacy I have put together the note below in a format you can view and download.

Glossary

Anthropomorphic Animals or objects acting like humans; walking, talking, wearing clothes.

Composition How the parts of an image are arranged on the page.

Connotation The feelings or ideas an image suggests.

Denotation What you can literally see in an image.

Icons Simple pictures that stand for objects or actions.

Illustration A picture that helps tell or extend a story.

Isometric Drawing A way of drawing from above where lines stay parallel, giving a map‑like look. For a more detailed explanation and classroom activities, see ‘Building Connected Worlds with Isometric Grids’ posted 20July 2026.

Narrative what happens, who is involved, and how the events connect

1. Plot

The main events of the story. What happens first, next, and last.

1. Subplot

A smaller story happening alongside the main one. Often shown in background details or side characters.

1. Text Narrative

The part of the story told through words. What the writing says, describes, or suggests.

1. Visual Narrative

The part of the story told through pictures. What the illustrations show — actions, expressions, setting, clues.

Perspective Drawing techniques that make pictures look three‑dimensional or show depth.

Signs Images or symbols that give information or instructions.

Symbols Pictures that represent bigger ideas (e.g., a bridge meaning connection).

Visual Literacy Understanding how pictures communicate meaning.

Visual Techniques Tools illustrators use — colour, shape, line, layout — to create mood or meaning.

Further Exploration

Suggested posts

Time to Illustrate time, posted 11 July 2026

Exploration of how time can be represented and add to a narrative

Teacher’s Note: Visual Literacy Exercise, posted 15 May 2026

Classroom activities based on visual literacy principles.

Crash Course in Visual Literacy, posted 15 May 2026

Online

Behind‑the‑scenes insights, sketches, and process notes can be found at: https://diviandfrey.com/ Instagram: @tony_flowersink99