I've written about this topic a few times in the last 10 years, but it is worth revisiting. Many people think that picture books are for little kids and that as soon as possible, we need to move them on to chapter books. Some parents and teachers encourage their children to 'move on' to chapter books
almost as soon as they
become proficient and fluent in reading. This is a
bad idea, for a range of reasons. All stem from four myths that underpin this well-motivated error.
Myth 1 -
'Picture books are easier reading than chapter books'. While some are simple, they can have very complex vocabulary, syntax and visual images & devices. For example,
Nicki Greenberg's graphic novel adaptation of Shakespeare's
'Hamlet'
is in effect a print-based staging of Hamlet's
struggles with truth, meaning, morality and action. She brings the play
to life
in a riot of colour and visual acrobatics that makes 'Hamlet' accessible
to new teenage and adult readers. And the text of Maurice Sendak's '
Where the Wild Things Are'
is a single sentence that is extremely complex, with a mix of embedded
clauses, direct speech, unusual verbs and rich metaphor. Good picture
books often use complex metaphors to develop themes, and the limitations
of the number of words used requires the author to use language with an
economy and power that many chapter books simply don't attain. The
subtle use of image, word, page layout, colour and text layout
variations can create sophisticated texts. Graphic novels and electronic picture books like '
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore', which I've reviewed previously (
here), are taking this to a completely new level.
Myth 2 - '
Illustrations make it easy for children to read and they reduce the need to read the words'.
While illustrations do work in harmony with the words, and authors can use
'stripped down' language that allow greater use of images, the interplay of illustration and
words is often extremely complex, allowing the reader to discover new
meaning each time they re-read the book, often over a period of many
years. So a child can read John Burningham's classic book '
Granpa'
as a simple story about a little girl and her grandfather, but can
revisit it years later and discover that it tells of the death of the
little girl's Grandfather. And many adults may never see the underlying
themes in children's books, like that of death in 'J
ohn Brown, Rose and the Midnight Cat'.
Myth 3 - '
Getting children reading longer texts earlier will maximise their reading growth'.
Not necessarily! While having the chance to consolidate reading skills
by reading lots of similar chapter books is good, pictures still have a
place. In fact, pushing a child too quickly into long chapter books
isn't necessarily best for young readers. At the point where readers
'take off' and want to read everything, to give them a series of books
is satisfying for them and reinforces their knowledge of the world and
knowledge of language. But this can offer less stimulation than good
picture books and less challenge in terms of developing comprehension
ability (see my post on '
Emerging Comprehension').
Picture books present multiple sign systems in one text. The parallel
use of language, image and many other devices (e.g. colour and print
layout), stimulates creativity and the imagination in ways that chapter
books cannot. A book like Graeme Base's '
The Sign of the Seahorse'
uses language, brilliant illustrations, a play text structure and other
devices (including a map and hidden clues), to offer a complex text to
be explored, read, enjoyed, 'worked out' and revisited many times. Or consider John Schumann's moving lyrics for the song '
I Was Only Nineteen' that tells the story of conscripted Australian teenagers being sent off to war in Vietnam. When combined with the illustrations of Craig Smith a powerful picture book is created that can challenge readers from 6 to 60 years of age.
Myth 4 - '
Picture books are just for children'.
Not so! Pick up any Shaun Tan book and you might at first read think, "Wow, is this a book for adults?" '
Tales From Outer Suburbia', '
The Arrival', '
The Lost Thing',
in fact any of his books, have a depth and richness that can 'stretch'
and challenge any child or adult. My first reading of his more recent
book, '
Rules of Summer',
left me perplexed and with so many questions I had to read it again,
and again to grasp the depth of this deceptively simple story about the
relationship between two boys (one older and more dominant than the
other). This is a story about rules and power with Tan's characteristic
images prodding your imagination at every turn of the page. Like all
quality picture books, it can be entered by readers of all ages and leave
them enriched in different ways.
While the majority of picture books are designed for readers
under the age of 7 years, more and more are written for much wider
readerships and the rapidly developing genre of the 'Graphic Novel' (see
previous post
here)
because they allow the author to use word, image and other modes
(including related audio, video and music) to create more complex
tellings of the story the author has in mind. For example, books like '
My Place' and '
Requiem for a Beast' and '
When the Wind Blows'
were never meant just for children. In fact, Matt Ottley's book
was actually meant for high school readers. The great thing about
picture books is that children and adults can both enjoy them, sometimes
separately, and sometimes together. The latter is an important way to
grow in shared knowledge and understanding as well as a key vehicle for
helping children to learn as we explore books with them.
So, what do Picture books do for older readers?
Picture books communicate complex truths in relevant and economical ways -
'Harry and Hopper'
by Margaret Wild and illustrated by Freya Blackwood helps readers of
any age to have a light shone on the challenge of accepting and dealing
with death so that life for those left behind can move on, even though
death changes things in big ways.
Picture books offer special pathways to deal with deep emotional challenges and springboards for discussion - '
Dandelion'
by Calvin Scott Davis (illustrated by Anthony Ishinjerro) allows the
inner pain of bullying and the fears it brings, to be visited and opened
for reflection and growth.
Picture books also enliven and reintroduce wonderful classic short stories - Oscar Wilde's '
The Selfish Giant'
is made fresh and relevant again through the illustrated picture book
of Ritva Voutila. This tale of forgiveness is enriched by Voutila's
contribution. So too Ted Hughes classic '
The Iron Man' is enriched with the illustrations of Laura Carlin and the graphic and paper craft design.
Picture books bring the power of image and graphic layout to words in
ways that add layers of meaning that would take thousands of words to
communicate - Margaret Wild and Ron Brooks work '
The Dream of the Thylacine'
shows this with great power when Brooks surreal images of the now
extinct Tasmanian Tiger have embedded within them grainy black and white
photographs of the last miserable creature caged in a Tasmanian zoo in
the 1930s.
Picture books can achieve things at times which the novel cannot - Irene Kobald & Freya Blackwood's brilliant picture book
'Two Blankets'
manages to offer insights into the inner struggles of a girl who
arrives from a war-torn nation to the strangeness of a new land. It is
primarily through the metaphorical use of an object - a blanket - that
the author and illustrator jointly communicate a significant story about
the strangeness of language and place in a unique way.
Summing up
It's good to encourage younger children to progress to chapter books as
they become proficient in reading,
but we shouldn't simply discard
picture books assuming they have little challenge for them anymore. The stimulation and challenge of the
mixed media opportunities that picture books offer, are very important
for language stimulation and development as well as creativity and the
enrichment of children's imaginations. Children may well be growing in language proficiency quickly, but their emotional maturity might not. Picture books do more than offer words and language, they help children to grow in knowledge of the world as well as emotionally and intellectually. They also serve as mirrors into their lives and windows into their world.
Picture
books are important for children aged 0-12 years, so don't neglect them
or discard them in a perhaps well-intentioned but misguided desire to
improve your children as readers. Remember, books are foundational to
language, writing, knowledge, thinking and creativity as well. They
also represent one of the best ways to offer children
multimodal experiences with text.
Other reading
Previous post on 'Requiem for a Best' and graphic novels
HERE
Previous post on 'Emergent Comprehension'
HERE
All my posts on picture books
HERE
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