November is Picture Book Month

November is not just about pilgrims and turkey. It is also the month to read, share, and celebrate picture books!

Why do we need an entire month extolling the importance of picture books? In my mind, picture books deserve just as much attention and praise as any novel. Eric Carle puts it this way:  "if you are a novelist, I think you start out with a 20 word idea, and you work at it and you wind up with 200,000 word novel. We picture-book people, or at least I, start out with 200,000 words and reduce it to 20."

There is no denying the preeminence of picture books and their creators. After all, picture books are a child's first exposure to art, literature, creativity, and inspiration.

Picture books sparked my love of reading and story telling. Look back through your own childhood. Was there a picture book that you treasured and begged your mother or father to read again and again? Do you share those books now with your own children?

I know that I am book nerd, but when I found out I was pregnant, the first things that I purchased for my unborn child were two picture books. I was not thinking about her cognitive development, even though that is a happy byproduct of reading to your child. Each book was really a message from me to her. With The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein I wanted my daughter to know that  I would always support her and that she was unconditionally loved. With the second book, Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, I wanted to show my daughter that her imagination could take her anywhere.

In 2010 the New York Times published an article about the decline of picture books. You can read the article here for yourself, but in a nutshell, children were being rushed into chapter books and independent reading and sales of picture books were declining.  If anything, the plight of picture books  has probably worsened since this article was written.
Why?  Personally I think that are two main reasons:
1. We (parents) are so determined to see our children succeed academically that we bombard then with flash cards, learning games, apps, etc. and suck all of the joy and wonder out of reading.
2. We are always in a hurry. Who has the time to sit down and read a picture book to their child? There are dishes to be washed, laundry to fold, practices to attend, dinner to make, and I could list a thousand other things.

Reading a book together, turning the pages, and talking about the pictures cannot be replaced by an ebook, video game, or app. Nor is it the same as a child reading by themselves. Obviously, children need to learn the nuts and bolts and how to read. Picture books, though, offer an unique experience that you get to share with a child. As a children's librarian, I am so fortunate in that I get to read with lots of children.

Even if you do not have a child to read a picture book with, pick one up for yourself. The stories can be silly and hilarious like Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Moe Willems. Historical like Unspoken: A Story of the Underground Railroad by Henry Cole.
Even tender and heartbreaking like Homer by Elisha Cooper (I grew up with a yellow lab so this one made me shed more than a few tears).  And let's not forget nonfiction because sometimes it can be fun to learn. I recommend anything and everything by Steve Jenkins.

If you have not read a picture book in some time, you just may be stunned by the artwork also. Picture books such as Jerry Pinkney's retelling of The Lion & Mouse have museum quality illustrations.
In fact, I believe Pinkney's work has been in a museum, the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.

If you would like to learn more about Picture Book Month check out the official website here. Don't forget to spread the joy of picture books this month and the rest of the year too. Any nieces, nephews, cousins, etc? Picture books make wonderful Christmas gifts. Or you could donate a few to children that may not own any books of their own. They just may grow up to be talented author/illustrators themselves.

Let's put it this way: if you are a novelist, I think you start out with a 20 word idea, and you work at it and you wind up with a 200,000 word novel. We, picture-book people, or at least I, start out with 200,000 words and I reduce it to 20.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/e/eric_carle.html#2SOoyBz3CEf4djVh.99