I’m an adult, I read picture books, and I am not ashamed.* Picture book authors and illustrators not only have to be skilled storytellers (and keep the attention of some very attention-deficit individuals…and sometimes also their children, too), they have to condense that storytelling quality into very few pages. All the character development, relationships, plot points, conflict—in short, all the good storytelling qualities you find in an adult-length novel—have to be established in maybe a few dozen pages at the most. For that, if nothing else, picture books are to be commended.
There’s also the factor of artwork. Sometimes, indeed, the images are mere illustrations; the story could be told without any pictures, but the illustrations enhance the experience. Then again, some picture books make the illustrations integral to the plot; the characters interact with the printed letters on the page, and vise-versa.
Lastly, picture books are significant in that often
they’re children’s first exposure to books, the first experience of reading,
the first time paper and ink come to life in their imaginations. When I was little, my mom read picture books
to my siblings and me. I still remember
the joyous feeling of gazing wide-eyed at the pictures as I dug my bony elbows
into my mom’s ribs. I think it’s safe to
say it was a memorable time for both of us.
As I got older, I became the reader instead of the
readee.** I have a good emergency stash
of picture books for when younger guests drop by our house. I also know how to “do the voices,” a skill
which should be admissible on employment resumes.
As a child, my favorite books were “the basics.” Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham and The Cat in the Hat, the Berenstain Bears books, If you Give a Mouse a Cookie, and pretty much anything featured on Reading Rainbow were part of my reading regime. I missed the Eric Carle craze, as well as Stellaluna and Mo Willems’ Pigeon books. But once I became the Reader I began to accumulate other, lesser-known favorites, and to form very strong tastes.
I really like “girly” books. I recently cashed in a gift card at Barnes and Noble for a copy of Fancy Nancy. Freckleface Strawberry (and its sequels) by Julianne Moore, the Ladybug Girl series by David Soman, the Louise the Big Cheese series by Elise Primavera, Victoria and Elizabeth Kann’s Pinkalicious (and its sequels) and the Kevin Henkes Lilly books are all in this category.
 |
I also love books involving animals. This includes Pinduli by Janell Cannon (of Stellaluna fame), One Cool Friend by Toni Buzzeo, the fourth-wall-breaking The Three Pigs by David Weisner, and DePaola’s Bill and Pete (or even better, Bill and Pete Go Down the Nile…because everything’s better with mummies).
As for illustrations, anything written and/or illustrated by Steven Kellogg, Bill Peet, Tommie dePaola, Jan Brett, LeUyen Pham, or Kevin Henkes is probably worth getting in hardcover if possible.
* Note: This is a good runner-up for my epitaph.
** I know very well this isn’t a word. But it should be.
** I know very well this isn’t a word. But it should be.
No comments:
Post a Comment