The Power of Picture Books
March 4th 2007 22:21
The passage of time is not an easy thing for the young to grasp. Put simply, it takes time to fully understand time. One of the many mysteries of life I guess.
But through books we can help children to understand many things in this world – and not necessarily with facts and figures.
Picture books are a great way of introducing life lessons and if you’re looking for some titles to fill those gaps in your children’s library, I’ve got a couple of good ones for you. Our Tree Named Steve by Alan Zweibel and illustrated by David Catrow is a sentimental, yet beautifully written book about a family and a big old (looks like oak) tree that shares their yard through the years. Youngest child, Sari can’t pronounce tree, so she calls it Steve. Once personalized, Steve becomes a focal point in the family’s life and as the pages roll by, so does the world in which children (and dogs) grow, seasons come and go and visitors pass through, but Steve stays immovable in an ever changing world. The lessons are subtle and un-dramatic, but portrayed in captivating, comical (slightly Dr. Seuss-ish) caricatures, it is both a delight to read and look through, finding small details that are true to most family’s lives.
Although children need and thrive in an unchanging and consistent environment, life does not stay the same and eventually they must learn to ride the waves of change. This is a perfect way to first introduce this concept – and in fact your pupil will not even be aware of the lesson until it is well and truly entrenched
Now if you want to back that one up with something a little more sophisticated, you can’t go past Jeannie Baker. Her wordless collage picture books are absolutely stunning in their beauty and simplicity, aimed at a child’s eye. In particular, (for this post) I would recommend Windows and Belonging. Both these titles show the changes taking place over the passage of time through a single window. There is no story to read, it is told through Baker’s creative hand. And believe me, if you sit down with a child and these books, there is no need for text. You can discuss everything you see, changes both good and bad, at an infant and/or primary level. Baker also manages to get other points across (even without words) such as environmental issues, which is a strong theme in most of her works.
The young mind is constantly grasping at things to learn, try, retrieve and try again. Books provide the resources to install concepts and ideas and surely if life’s many mysteries are first encountered in the pages of a book, the real thing is less likely to be surprising or traumatic. What do others think? Am I on the right track or is this book-worm delusional?
But through books we can help children to understand many things in this world – and not necessarily with facts and figures.
Image: barnesandnoble.com
Picture books are a great way of introducing life lessons and if you’re looking for some titles to fill those gaps in your children’s library, I’ve got a couple of good ones for you. Our Tree Named Steve by Alan Zweibel and illustrated by David Catrow is a sentimental, yet beautifully written book about a family and a big old (looks like oak) tree that shares their yard through the years. Youngest child, Sari can’t pronounce tree, so she calls it Steve. Once personalized, Steve becomes a focal point in the family’s life and as the pages roll by, so does the world in which children (and dogs) grow, seasons come and go and visitors pass through, but Steve stays immovable in an ever changing world. The lessons are subtle and un-dramatic, but portrayed in captivating, comical (slightly Dr. Seuss-ish) caricatures, it is both a delight to read and look through, finding small details that are true to most family’s lives.
Although children need and thrive in an unchanging and consistent environment, life does not stay the same and eventually they must learn to ride the waves of change. This is a perfect way to first introduce this concept – and in fact your pupil will not even be aware of the lesson until it is well and truly entrenched
Images: jeanniebaker.com
Now if you want to back that one up with something a little more sophisticated, you can’t go past Jeannie Baker. Her wordless collage picture books are absolutely stunning in their beauty and simplicity, aimed at a child’s eye. In particular, (for this post) I would recommend Windows and Belonging. Both these titles show the changes taking place over the passage of time through a single window. There is no story to read, it is told through Baker’s creative hand. And believe me, if you sit down with a child and these books, there is no need for text. You can discuss everything you see, changes both good and bad, at an infant and/or primary level. Baker also manages to get other points across (even without words) such as environmental issues, which is a strong theme in most of her works.
The young mind is constantly grasping at things to learn, try, retrieve and try again. Books provide the resources to install concepts and ideas and surely if life’s many mysteries are first encountered in the pages of a book, the real thing is less likely to be surprising or traumatic. What do others think? Am I on the right track or is this book-worm delusional?
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