I am a book lover. And ever since I was a kid myself, I’ve never shied away from openly declaring my ongoing love and preference for children’s books. It was always easy to see the value of these treasures – kids’ chapter books, middle grade books – these always felt much more like home to me than reading adult novels, and I was a proud advocate of sharing and recommending these books to fellow adults. But, it wasn’t until fairly recently in my life that I discovered the incredible value and awesomeness of picture books.
Granted, there were isolated examples of picture books popping up in my teen or adult years. I received a picture book for my high school graduation and one for my college graduation. I went to a coffeehouse gathering in my 20s where someone was handing out his favorite picture book to anyone who was interested. But I viewed these as unique examples of picture books – the exceptions.
I always valued the idea of reading out loud to children from birth and having a library of books for houses with kids. But I fully admit that I thought picture books were just temporary parts of the journey – that it didn’t really matter what those books were since the child would be too young to understand (or so I had believed) and the books were just going to get passed along in a few years anyway.
Boy, was I wrong! Despite decades of reading children’s books and years and years of working with kids, it wasn’t until becoming a parent that I finally recognized that picture books – especially the really great ones – are for everyone!
This is a list of just 10 of the reasons why I believe that picture books are for every age and every stage of life. (You can also scroll to the bottom for my video on this topic.)
1 – Picture Books Have Incredible Vocabulary!
Picture books are designed to be read out loud by an adult to a child, so there’s no need to water down the vocabulary. Also, each word must be carefully considered and chosen for picture books because of their relatively short length, so these are well-crafted words and sentences.
Years and years ago, I decided I wanted to revisit learning Spanish. I was by no means fluent, but I had taken four years in high school and had dabbled in relearning here and there. My brilliant idea was to ease into my relearning of this beautiful language by checking out stacks of Spanish picture books from the library. Easy, right? … Ha! I was shocked by the number of times I was absolutely stumped by words. And when I asked a friend who, although not a native speaker, had studied Spanish in college and was fairly fluent and she was also stumped by some of the words, I got my first lesson in just how rich the vocabulary of picture books can be.
I opened some of our picture books at random, and here are some words I found:
plea
beckon
clamber
enthralled
trellis
acquaintance
glistening
enamored
maestro
sentimental
bounded
astounding
samovar
yearning
Wow!! And by being exposed to picture books, young children will inherently understand the meaning of these words by looking at the pictures and listening to the story. But what an awesome resource to use in classrooms with older children as well! While not all picture books include complex vocabulary, it’s definitely not uncommon. Don’t for once be fooled into thinking that opening a picture book means easy, cutesy words and simple sentence structure. Many picture books have sophisticated language fit for any age.
2 – Picture Books Are Short
Yes, I am stating the obvious here. But because of their short length, picture books open up wonderful possibilities. Whole picture books can be read and shared and squeezed into pockets of our busy lives in a way that no other book can.
You can get the entire experience of a picture book within a matter of minutes. They can be shared before getting into a heavy discussion in a college classroom or as an introduction at a workshop. And wouldn’t it be cool if we could normalize the reading of picture books enough to have them in doctor waiting rooms and offices as well? Why must adults’ short spurts of reading be limited to magazine and newspaper articles?
3 – Picture Books Provide a Shared Experience and Background Knowledge
I know it can be a struggle sometimes in a classroom setting to have students from such a wide variety of backgrounds and different life experiences. Trying to find a common ground to refer back to can be tricky given the limited hours available to touch on so much new information. But, what if picture books were part of the day in upper elementary classrooms or high school or college classes? Picture books take only minutes to read, but suddenly the class has a shared experience that can be discussed and referred back to in future lessons. Both fiction and non-fiction picture books have a wealth of knowledge, literary devices, and emotional touchstones that can contain invaluable points of reference for any classroom subject.
And in personal lives, how cool is it that picture books can be shared experience across ages? Children won’t be able to talk with an adult about an adult novel, but adults can definitely share and appreciate a picture book with children.
4 – Picture Books Invite Gathering Close and Snuggling In
Because of the visual component in picture books, they invite groups to gather close. Whether it’s at a library or in a classroom or at home, picture books allow the opportunity for people to come together for this shared experience.
And even when people are enjoying a picture book alone, something about the pictures and stories still invites one to curl up and enter the story in a way that other books might not.
5 – Picture Books Teach So Many New Things!
Many people think of picture books as works of fiction, but I am always astounded at the incredible works of non-fiction that exist as well. There are gorgeous, incredibly-crafted, non-fiction picture books covering just about every topic out there. I use picture books all the time as a homeschool educator to introduce a subject or sometimes as the lesson itself. I have learned SO much from reading picture books, and I wish I had used this amazing resource more when I was teaching middle school.
6 – Picture Books Also Provide Mirrors and Windows
I love the idea that books should be mirrors and windows of our lives. Not only should we see mirrors of ourselves in the books we read, but also windows into what life is like for people who are experiencing life differently. This is one of THE foundations for why books are so incredibly important in our society (and probably one of the reason book banners get the most upset. ugh.) What I love about picture books in terms of mirrors and windows is that they are short and accessible. While some people might not invest their time reading a longer book about a topic or way of life that’s unfamiliar to them, a picture book provides a quick, but often powerful, look at this. AND it includes pictures, which can help offer visual cues and empathy in a way that other books cannot.
7 – Picture Books Have All the Feels
Picture books have all the feels! While it’s not every book, and there are some that do this in a contrived way, when you find a book that does this well and that resonates with you – Wow! I’m amazed at the number of picture books that have brought me to tears. Sometimes it’s fiction books, but just as often it’s the non-fiction ones.
8 – Picture Books Offer a Variety of Beautiful Art Styles
I love a good art museum or gallery, and often times I wish we lived closer to more art opportunities. But then I look over at our bookshelf, and I see that we have gorgeous art RIGHT THERE in the pages of our picture books. There is an incredible variety in art styles in these books, and it’s such a delight to explore the art and discuss it and soak it in.
9 – Picture books Are For Reading Out Loud
I think some adults stop reading to their kids once the children can read on their own, but I believe that reading out loud is just as important for older kids as the younger ones. And sometimes it’s just tough to find time for a chapter book. So, why not read picture books together? Pick a subject and check out a stack from the library or revisit old favorites on the shelf at home.
Also, reading to oneself and reading out loud are two different skills. So, wouldn’t it be great for a child, who is learning to read out loud more fluently, to revisit some familiar picture books and read them confidently. The fluency and ability to decipher vocabulary words will be so much more doable with the foundation of having heard these books in their younger years.
And I believe that much older kids and adults still need to be read out loud to as well. I think there’s something in human nature that craves storytelling and hearing stories. Wouldn’t it be rad if libraries offered a read-aloud time for adults as well as for children?
10 – Picture Books Are Comforting
Sometimes it feels like our society is constantly pushing for more, better, and faster. Even young children are ushered along to new skills right after they’ve mastered something. But wouldn’t it be nice to slow down and spend time with things that feel approachable and comforting? Picture books are often tied to memories of snuggles and delight and simple times.
I’ve heard parents and teachers discourage or even not allow kids to read books that are “below” their current reading level. And this has always baffled me. If a child is constantly reading at the next, slightly-unfamiliar, slightly-tougher level, then when do they get to stop and just enjoy the act of reading? Let a child fall in love with reading, and the desire to read more books at “higher” levels will just come naturally. Picture books can provide a security and comfort and confidence for children so that they feel ready and excited to branch out to more.
Wouldn’t it be so wonderful if we could all slow down, get our egos out of the way, and allow our children and ourselves to enjoy the beautiful gifts that picture books offer?
Picture books – the good ones and the ones that resonate for you – are powerful and beautiful. They aren’t just for non-readers or early readers. If, like me, you hadn’t considered this yet, I recommend going to the library or the local bookstore. Find a really great picture book or a stack of them. We, as a society, need to discover and embrace the precious picture books that authors and illustrators have gifted us. Not just for our children, but for all of us.