Picturebook Format

The purpose of this paper is to present picturebooks as a special format instead of a literary genre, due to the growing relevance of book design and peritextual elements in defining the characteristics of this art form. The creative investment in the peritexts has implications in the construction of the message and in the reading process, creating an original artefact. The paper also describes different types of picturebooks and explores the influence of the picturebook format on other genres, underlining its importance in contemporary Portuguese publishing.