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
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!!
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!!!!!
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.
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!