This article analyzes the relationship between the visual and the verbal language in the
Picture book Rinocerontes não comem panquecas, written by Anna Kemp and illustrated by Sarah
Ogilive. The title was selected by Programa Nacional Biblioteca na Escola, in 2014 edition. The qualitative study includes an analysis of the verbal-visual composition of the book and the way young
children interact with the narrative. The theoretical approach was based on Lacerda (2014), Linden
(2018), Fittipaldi (2008), Nikolajeva and Scott (2011), Ramos and Paiva (2014), Zilberman (2012), and
others authors. It is verified that the verbal language, in addition to providing plot data, guides the
visual dimension. The image assumes aspects of collaboration with the verbal narrative, expanding
the possibilities of reading. The study indicates that the book, even though it presents paratexts and
excerpts from the plot with a pedagogical bias, contemplates the polysemy observed by approximations and distances between the verbal and visual dimensions, through the use of colors, the
configuration of the scenario, the use of typography, and others elements. In addition to the analysis
of the narrative, the article contemplates the interaction of children with the book object. This action
revealed the role of little readers in the face of verbal and visual languages, and reinforced that the
children’s interaction confirms the polysemy of the narrative.