Tactile picture books in Sweden


What is a tactile picture book? 
Basically, tactile books communicate information through touch. The 
illustrations in a tactile picture book are in relief so that they can be read 
with the fingers. Tactile picture books come in a wide variety of materials: 
textiles, swell paper, or combinations of a variety of techniques. Most tactile 
picture books are based on an existing printed book.

The Swedish Library of Talking Books and Braille (TPB) has been producing 
tactile picture books for children with different types of visual impairment 
since 1992. Since 2005, children with other types of impairement can also borrow 
these books. 

The TPB’s tactile picture books are almost always based on an existing printed 
book. The pictures in the tactile version, however, are simplified to facilitate 
perception by touch, which means that certain details in the original 
illustration have to be eliminated, leaving only the most important features. 
Tactile pictures are produced in a range of structures, textile material or 
screen print, contrasting colours, etc. The text of the printed book is 
transferred to Braille or large print or printed in screen. 

Importance of pictures for the child’s development
Picture books are of vital importance in the child’s development and equally so 
for the child with visual impairment. Young children are constantly exposed to 
images and texts in their environment; texts and picture symbols are all around 
us, on hoardings, cereal boxes, shop-windows, etc. The child therefore quickly 
learns to recognise different letters and picture symbols and what they stand 
for. This recognition of letters and symbols is the first stage in the 
development of reading.

Visually impaired children are often less familiar with letters and words when 
they start school than their sighted peers, since Braille is rarely a familiar 
element in the children’s environment, although they may perhaps have 
encountered it on elevator buttons. Books in Braille thus play a very important 
role in the visually impaired child’s development, even before they learn to 
read.

Tactile pictures can also explain things the child cannot touch such as 
volcanoes or dinosaurs, and a picture of a tree can give the visually impaired 
child an idea of what it looks like, as trees can be touched but never be 
perceived as a whole.

There is still very little known about how children with other types of 
impairment may be helped by tactile picture books; there has been no research 
into this area. But parents of disabled children report that their children’s 
ability to understand the story in a book increases when they are able to touch 
and feel simplified tactile pictures. 

How to read tactile picture books
When reading a tactile picture book to a child, it is essential not to rush 
things. A calm atmosphere is vital. The child must be allowed to ask questions; 
the pace must be decided by the child, who should be allowed to take as much 
time as he or she needs. It may be helpful to talk a little about the story 
before the reading starts, so that the child already has an idea of what it is 
about. The child could be asked about his or her own experiences of what is 
described in the text. Objects that appear in a tactile picture could be 
produced for the child to compare the real object with the one in the picture. 
This is especially helpful for very small children.
Tactile books vary in difficulty and age-range. It is impossible to state the 
best age for starting to read tactile picture books as this depends on the 
individual child. You might, however, start with a simple picture book without 
text for small children. The next phase could be books containing rhymes or a 
simple story, after which books with longer texts and more complicated tactile 
books could be introduced. 

For children who have outgrown picture books, there are books with individual 
tactile pictures, often portraying objects or events which can be difficult for 
a visuallyimpaired person to understand. 

Production methods 
Every year TPB selects three or four books to become tactile picture books. 
These represent a very small part of the vast number of picture books produced 
by the publishers each year. A specially qualified designer is then commissioned 
to work on the pictures to make them readable by touch. The designer deter-mines 
the colours and materials to be used. Some picture structures and Braille texts 
are produced in screen print. Finally, the various materials are cut by laser 
and glued together onto the pages.

Other tactile picture books are produced entirely in screen print. In this case 
materials such as flock may be used to produce soft, woolly surfaces for 
pictures of animals. 

Lending and purchase 
TPB books can be borrowed by visually impaired individuals at libraries all over 
Sweden. If you want to find out about existing tactile picture books, visit 
TPB’s catalogue at its website, www.tpb.se, where you can access general 
information on tactile picture books in English and Swedish. 

New titles can be purchased by Braille readers and public libraries in Sweden. 
The children’s department at the local library stocks tactile picture books; 
many libraries display tactile picture books on their “Apple Shelf,” where 
children’s literature in adapted media is available. 

Copyright: The Swedish Library of Talking Books and Braille 2007

www.tpb.se/english/braille/tactile_picture_books/