What is the first book you remember reading or hearing read? Chances are that it was a picture book written for children, read to you by a special adult in your life.
Picture books are so common in libraries, homes, preschools, Sunday Schools and daycares that we don’t always stop to consider what elements make them “picture books,” or why they’re such powerful tools for imagination and education.
“Picture book” doesn’t mean simply a book with pictures. Many books have illustrations, but they’re not picture books. So what IS a picture book, exactly? According to the Caldecott Terms and Criteria, a picture book provides a visual experience through “a collective unity of story-line, theme, or concept, developed through the series of pictures of which the book is comprised.”
Simply put, a picture book tells a story primarily through – you guessed it – pictures. It usually (but not always) has text as well, but the illustrations drive the bus.
Not all picture books are made for children (even the ones that look like children’s books at first glance), but most are intended for young children. Most often, they’re used with children who have not yet learned to read on their own yet.
However, even if you’re not specifically teaching while you’re reading a story aloud, your child is absorbing key reading skills. Picture books help children sense the flow of a plot or story, with its beginning, middle and end. They learn that the printed words on the page mean something and can be translated into language (the fancy term is “print recognition”). Many children start to recognize specific words in print before they ever study reading formally, setting them up for better success in school.
Picture books also help children develop better language skills. Since picture books are not the same as “beginner readers,” they often contain more complex sentences and vocabulary beyond your child’s current level. You may have to explain some words, but even when you don’t, your child can look at the pictures to understand the ideas presented in the text.
You may become weary of reading the same picture book over and over again, but that repetition is key to your child’s development. They learn to anticipate specific words or parts of a story, and they can take more time to absorb the sounds and print representation of words on the page. These skills (phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, comprehension) are all crucial to your child’s ability to read on their own later. Now you can feel a little better about reading Goodnight Moon for the 237th time this year.
At libraries, we’re in the middle of a project to organize our children’s picture books by topic instead of only by author. Graphic-based labels will clarify content for children who cannot yet read print descriptions. We’re hopeful that this change will make it easier for you and your children to find picture books you like when we reopen our buildings for browsing. In the meantime, ask us to pull some books for you to pick up curbside!
Julie Phillips, Director
Botetourt County Libraries
