This week we have celebrated World Book Day, wearing our pyjamas and sharing our favourite books.

We love picture books!

Picture books are important because of the way the readers interact with them, especially the read aloud experience. No matter how many awards it may have won, or how beautiful the prose or illustrations, an unread picture book collecting dust on a shelf is just paper and cardboard.

The magic begins when a child or adult reader opens up the book. Sometimes people try to rush children out of picture books into chapter books, not realising the picture books can be a valuable resource.

 

• *  picture books help bridge the gap between generations, strengthening bonds and forming connections

 

• *  picture books encourage a joy of reading. Reading is fun and sharing a picture book reinforces that message

 

• *  picture books help build vocabulary. Children are introduced to more complex words and pictures provide clues to the meanings of those words

 

• *  picture books help children become better listeners

 

• *  picture books introduce children to the love of art. The pictures enhance the story and encourage children to revisit the pages, noticing new things, often revealing a secondary subplot

 

• *  picture books introduce concepts in a safe environment

 

• *  picture books help children develop critical thinking skills as the pictures lead the reader through the book page by page

 

• *  picture books strengthen visual thinking skills. They help children connect what they observe with how they think and they link concepts to words

 

• *  picture books plant the seed for writing skills and imagination

 

• *  picture books encourage conversation about the story, the characters, their feelings and the meanings

 

We love picture books!