A Reading Diet that Includes Picture Books
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Recently, the New York Times article published “Picture Books No Longer a Staple for Children.” It turns out that their reporter inaccurately quoted a source and frankly, I wasn’t surprised – but that isn’t why I’m writing this post. Here’s what I do wonder . . .
Do we have a cultural paradigm that children shouldn’t be reading picture books because “good readers read chapter books”?
*(Despite the fact that most picture books are written at a high reading level with challenging vocabulary?)
How do we get children to pick picture books as well as chapter books?
Here’s what works with my third grader (eight-year old) – and I wonder if it can apply your kids, too. Does 1 + 2 = 3?
1. I provide the picture books.
At the library, Ani goes straight for the chapter book section. She won’t pick out picture books. So, . . . I do. Not only do I check out picture books, as you know, I get sent a ton of books to review for Colorado Parent magazine. Needless to say, we always have lots of picture books in our house.
2. I leave the picture books lying around.
I’m not a big neat freak – and we often have piles of books lying around not put in shelves. I watch as my daughter methodically reads through all the picture book piles. Sometimes I even ask her for her “help” in reviewing the books – and to read certain stacks. Sometimes, she surprises me with what she likes — books I think are kind of boring! She’s a huge non-fiction fan and right now is loving an A to Z of the Revolutionary War picture book.
3. Then daughter reads picture books.
Ani loves reading picture books, and sometimes wants me to read aloud the books to her – which I do!
What do you notice with your kids or students?
Do you think my method would work for your kids?
Since I write picture books, I was concerned about the article’s message. But hopefully parents, teachers and librarians know the value of the stimulation both words and pictures provide the brain. Kids can linger over the pages and study the pictures and words versus zipping through chapters.
The pressure kids feel to move on to chapter books (usually supported by parents and teachers) worries me. What’s the rush? As you say picture books are written at a higher reading level. They are intended to be a shared experience between children and adults. Why avoid stories with beautiful artwork and poetic language? I’ve never grown out of them. Thanks for this post.
I like your method a lot. My daughter is almost 14 now but since I’m still reading picture books I pass them along to her just for the pleasure. It might take her 5 minutes to read one & she enjoys it & uses critical thinking skills when stating her opinion because I always ask why she likes/dislikes something. The whole idea is that I share something with her and I want to know what she thinks. Picture books are great for getting a conversation going!
I like your method a lot. My daughter is almost 14 now but since I’m still reading picture books I pass them along to her just for the pleasure. It might take her 5 minutes to read one & she enjoys it & uses critical thinking skills when stating her opinion because I always ask why she likes/dislikes something. The whole idea is that I pass something along to her because I want to know what she thinks. Picture books are great for getting a conversation going!
I read the same article and was floored! I still haven’t outgrown picture books! Thanks for your tips!