Picture Book Power

Every week William and I visit the library

We choose a wide range of books

To take home for the family to explore

Thick books

Thin books

Fiction

Non Fiction

Poetry

Prose

We love books in our house

And we all read books of all sorts

William age 9

With a reading age of 14

Enjoys non fiction written for adults

A wide range of chapter books

Classic and modern

He also finds great delight and comfort in picture books

I place no restrictions on what he can or cannot read

The same for all our children

I am careful with sensitive content

But no matter the age and ability of the reader

They are allowed to choose to read

Or indeed not read

Any book they like

You will find Esther reading The Gruffalo

While Edie sits quite happily

Flicking through the pages of Harry Potter

Telling herself a tale

On Monday

In the library

There was a little girl

Aged 4 or 5

She was in the library with her Grandma

The little girl was looking at lots of books

Having a lovely time

Her eyes lit up as she leafed through the pages

Book after book

She was to choose one book to take home to read

She chose a beautiful picture book

With bright colourful illustrations

The Grandma told her that the book was too babyish

The little girl chose another picture book

Her Grandma suggested again

That this book was too young for her

She dismissed the little girl’s choices

Telling her that now she was starting school

She should not be reading books with pictures anymore

The librarian agreed

Telling the girl she needed books with more words

He directed the little girl to the ‘Early Readers’ section

Which is one shelf

Filled with reading scheme books

The poor girl let go of the picture book she was still clutching

She was handed a thin chapter book

With a picture of a cat on the front

Here, she was told, read this one

This is better

It has a cat on it

The little girl’s excitement for reading

Curiosity about books

Was completely squashed before my eyes

And it was so sad to see

She really wanted a pretty picture book to read

She was 4 years old, maybe 5

It was so sad to see!

I am passionate about pictures

Addicted to picture books

Passionate about them

And a champion for the valuable role they play

In developing readers of all ages

At university my dissertation

Was exploring the use of picture books

With older children

Their potential power

In the key stage two classroom and beyond

I love picture books

Am obsessed with buying them

Reading them for my own pleasure

As well as sharing them with my children

Using them to inspire our home education and our play

Picture books are like magic

Real life magic

Picture books can be complex

They are often incredibly clever

Picture books often have rich poetic vocabulary

The language is accessible to all ages and abilities

And yet, it is beautiful and shows how words can be used to create pictures of their own

Picture books explore emotions

Tell stories from the past

Share messages and warnings about our future

Picture books can be an explanation

An exclamation

A call to action

They can be a window to the world

Picture books introduce and explain complicated concepts

They can open up conversations

Prompt questions

Picture books are just as valid

For readers of all ages

As any other books

Many picture books are created

With an older audience in mind

Rose Blanche

The Wolves in the Walls

Many of their stories are multi levelled

Appealing to different ages and abilities

They use great humour

Evoke big emotions

You are never too old

To read and delight in a picture book

And most certainly not at 4 or 5

Picture books encourage talk about words and pictures

They strengthen visual thinking skills

Children learn to read pictures

Often in picture books the illustrations

Tell a very different story to the words

Picture books can introduce children to art

Inspiring them to create their own pictures

Using different styles

With a wider range of materials

Picture books encourage readers of all ages

To read out loud

To play with words and pictures

Creating stories of their own

Picture books help us to develop critical thinking skills

They make us think about and interact with

What we are hearing or seeing

In words and in pictures

Picture books help us to communicate with one another

They help us to explore and understand the world that we live in

They enable us to explore complex concepts in a safe way

Picture books provide a springboard for creative learning

I love starting our maths and science lessons with a story

Picture books inspire children to tell and write stories of their own

We can bond with picture books

Across generations

They can be like a comfort blanket

A light in the dark

Picture books have great depths waiting to be explored

They are treasure troves full of riches to be shared

Picture books make wonderful gifts for special occasions

For people of all ages

I have been wondering what to do with my blog

As my children grow

And now I know

This is it …

Sharing my passion for picture books

Showing how they can be used with children of all ages

For learning, living and play

Highlighting some of my favourite books

Old and new

And saying why I think you should read them too

I am passionate about pictures

Addicted to picture books

And a champion for the valuable role they play

In developing readers of all ages

There is power in picture books

Just waiting to be discovered

And I am going to be here to help along the way

Here is to

Picture Book Power!!

3 thoughts on “Picture Book Power

  1. Picture books are indeed the most amazing books. Appalling for people to say children should not read picture books, children should read any books they want!!!!!

  2. Children should be able to read anything and everything, from as early as possible. Both my boys are champion readers, with my daughter quickly following in their footsteps. Books are so so important and hey should never be dismissed.

  3. I love this message. My children too have read whatever they wanted and all have the same love for reading that I do. I still enjoy reading children and teen books as an adult!

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