LIS 721 Review of Board Books & Pictures Books
There are many types of books for children and each serves a specific purpose to aid in learning how to become a reader while opening windows to worlds outside of the scope of the every day child. Below is a chart to help understand the progression books take on throughout the ages and stages of childhood development. These are fluid and may vary by the child's interests and abilities. Learning to read and sit for a story is a skill that is not developed overnight. It takes time for a child to build up their reading stamina.
Follow the links to learn more about the ages and stages of children ages from birth to 2-years old, 18 months-3-years old, and ages 3-6-years-old.
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| Photo Credit: Miriam Laundry Publishing |
Early literacy
Developing language and literacy skills begins at birth through everyday loving interactions, such as sharing books, telling stories, singing songs and talking to one another. Adults—parents, grandparents, librarians, and teachers—play a very important role in preparing young children for future school success and helping them become self-confident and motivated learners. To begin the journey, it can be helpful to focus on the five aspects of early literacy which are reading, writing, talking, singing, and playing.
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| Photo Credit: Naperville Public Library |
In today's dive, I will be reviewing and sharing titles I would recommend to read that fall within the formats of Board Books and Picture Books. This is just the tip of the iceberg and it is a nice place to start if you are curating your own collection or just wanting to enjoy them with the little ones in your life.
Board Books
Hair Love ABCs by Matthew A. Cherry, Illustrated by Vashti Harrison, Published by New York : Kokila, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, [2023]
This board book uses the ABCs to discuss the different ways hair can and cannot cooperate, but ultimately breaks down to how being uniquely you is the best way to be. Each page focuses on different letter of the alphabet with only 1-2 words per page. The realistic illustrations depict a young girl and her family in vibrant color enhancing the tone of each page.
Kahlo's Koalas: 1, 2, 3, Count Art with Me by Grace Helmer, Published by Kansas City, Missouri : Andrews McMeel Publishing, [2019]
This board book focuses on counting 1-10. Each page has 2 words and 1 number it focuses on, adding numbers and animals as the text builds. The author uses alliteration to tie animals to artists using a 2 page spread, showcasing each artist's unique style and provides an overview of each artist at the end of the work.
Baby's Feelings by Katherine Crow and Mickenzie Smith, Published by Franklin, TN : Flowerpot Press, 2017.
In this concept board book, children learn about different feelings and emotions throughout the text using two pictures of real babies experiencing each emotion on the page. The use of real photos in this book enhance the text and create a real world connection to the emotion they are portraying helping ease young children into understanding their emotions and learning they are not alone in these feelings.
Through exploration children are encouraged to go on a dinosaur hunt through the forest. The book starts in the early morning and uses repetitive words to keep the pace. Each page reveals a new dinosaur! The book transitions to the evening which can be tracked by the placement of the sun in the illustrations paired alongside a change in wording when you greet each dinosaur under the flap.
Other notable board books include:
Doggies by Sandra Boynton
Hats of Faith by Medeia Cohan
In My Flower by Sara Gillingham & Lorena Siminovich
Nita's Day: More Signs for Babies and Parents by Kathy MacMillan
Let's Play by Herve Tullet
Additional resources for board books include the National Association for the Education of Young Children's Great Books to Read to Infants and Toddlers, Free to the People's Best Books for Babies 2024, and Everyday Reading's blog The Board Books I Kept.
Picture Books
In this picture book the words and illustrations play hand-in-hand with each other. Building pace and momentum throughout the work. The artist uses mixed media to create visually dynamic two page spreads of real figures and historical events in a powerful yet age appropriate way. There is a page in the text that is left without illustrations but adds to the power of the text. The text features hints of dominance to stress where the reader should emphasize. The writing style features repetition and patterned language to keep the reader eager to continue to flip the pages and discover what powerful message will be made next. This book is recommended for children ages 5-10 because of the level of content. The images and idols mentioned in the book are explained in further detail in the back of the book. This book is a nice way to discuss race, the struggles of racism, and the power of perseverance with children.
Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell, Published by New York : Feiwel and Friends, 2017
This picture book has minimal words and allows the images to take over the story. The illustrator uses vertical lines to keep the story's pace moving forward but also uses circles to break out characters and highlights their emotion through up close images of their facial expressions. The color choices in the pictures help create dominance and contrast to draw the readers eye's to various areas of the page. The soft texture of the snow does not detract from the images but enhances the element of the child and wolf pup being lost in the elements. The text transitions from the girl's dog barking to wolves howling, then back to the dog's bark hinting to different characters that were featured early on while they are searching for their respective lost characters. This book is recommended for ages 3-7 because of the cartoon like images, simple characters, and creative nature of the composition of the text.
This picture book takes on a modern day approach to folk art using mixed medias, colors, and textures to help portray its message. The text is bold and segmented to intentionally slow the pace of the story down but short to keep the story moving. The illustrations contain "Easter eggs" for the reader to discover. These elements are subtle and could be lost on younger readers but resonate with older readers whose scope of the world is larger. The author does a nice job sharing the story of what being an immigrant to a new country is like and the resiliency that is needed to starting a new life. They share the wonder that public libraries offer as resources to those new to America through vibrant, colorful illustrations. This book is recommended for ages 2-9 because of the range of messaging in the story. This can spark discussions of their ancestors, immigration, acceptance, and what inspires the reader to continue on their journey of self-discovery.
A Different Pond by Bao Phi, Published by North Mankato : Capstone, 2017.
This picture book has more text than the others mentioned above. The author and illustrator do a nice job fitting within the confines of a picture book manipulating the text and using illustration windows to navigate through the story. The illustration windows help draw the eye to different segments of the page creating a natural progression to the story and where the reader should look next. There are three main characters that are colored but most of the supporting characters have muted color or use only one color as to not distract from the main boy, his father, and his mother. There are a range of close up and distant illustrations which lend to the tone and mood of the text. Additionally, the color, saturation, and hue of the book is overall dark, emphasizing the time of day the story is taking place, ending in warmer tones as the family comes together to share dinner. This book is recommended for ages 5-8 because of length of the story and complexity of the illustrations. A reader needs to have built up their stamina to sit for the duration of this text. It opens the door for conversations around immigration, family history and heritage, tradition, and even has a mention of death/loss.
Other notable picture books include:
I Am Enough by Grace Byers
The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld
Say My Name by Joanna Ho
From My Window by Otávio Júnior
Coretta by Coretta Scott King
Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard
Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miller
All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold
The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson
Additional resources for picture books include the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) Caldecott Medal & Honor Books, 1938 to present list, popular websites such as GoodReads Best Picture Books lists, and the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana's list of Challenged Picture Books.
I'd love to hear about your recommendations of board books and picture books. Please feel free to comment below with additional titles that aren't covered in this blog post.
Happy Reading!
Jenny
Resources
Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC). (2024). Caldecott Medal & Honor Books, 1938 to Present. ALSC.
Baker, I. & Baker Schiffer, M. (2007). Great Books to Read to Infants and Toddlers. National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. (2024). Best Books for Babies 2024. Free to the People.
Child Development Institute. (n.a.). The Ages and Stages of Child Development. Parenting Today 1999-2023. Child Development Institute.
Engel, Susan. (2016). Storytelling in the First Three Years. Zero to Three Journal.
Farmer Kris, D. (2021). The Simple Power of Singing to Kids. PBS Kids.
Frey, S. (2015). Study Says Reading Aloud to Children, More Than Talking, Builds Literacy. Edsource.
GoodReads. (n/a). Best Picture Books. GoodReads.
Janssen. (2024). The Board Books I Kept. Everyday Reading.
Lambert, L. (n.d.). Why 30 Million Words are Critical to Your Child’s Future Success. ReadBrightly.
University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana. (n/a). Challenged Picture Books. U of I.
Zero to Three. (2024). Early Literacy. Zero to Three.
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