Picture Book for Children

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Picture Book for Children

• One that
• Provides children with a visual experience
• Has a collective unity of story-line, theme, or
  concept, developed through the series of pictures
  of which the book is comprised.
• One for which children (persons of ages up to and
  including 14) are a potential audience.
• One displaying respect for childrens
  understandings, abilities, appreciations.

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PICTURE STORYBOOK

• A picture book in which both illustrations and
  text are equally responsible for telling the
  story.
• Text illustration occur with equal frequency.
• Both the words and the pictures are needed to
  understand the meaning. Illustrations give clues
  of what is about to happen in the story.
• On most double spread pages, both text and
  illustrations are seen.

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The True Story of the Three Little Pigs By Jon
Scieszka illustrated by Lane Smith
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• Current trends in the field include
• An ever-widening audience
• More multicultural themes
• Realistic themes (Mollys Family)
• Greater diversity of formats
• More illustrated retellings of folktales
• 1990s - picture books with high levels of
  conceptual difficulty and artistic sophistication
  intended for intermediate and middle school
  students
• Greater and more effective use of illustration in
  informational books.

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PICTURE STORY BOOK

• Text is meant to be read aloud to 4--7-year-olds.
• Text includes challenging vocabulary.
• Often read and enjoyed independently by children
  8 years old and up.
• Picture storybooks are the most common type of
  picture book.

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PICTURE BOOKS FOR OLDER READERS

• Are more sophisticated, abstract, or complex in
  themes, stories, illustrations.
• Are suitable for children aged 10 older.
• Make appropriate picture books an option in ANY
  reading situation.

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TOP 10 TIPS FOR SELECTING PICTURE BOOKS

• 1. Do you say Wow! when you look at the
  pictures?
• 2. Do you have a teacher, family, or student who
  will enjoy the book?
• 3. Do the words and pictures work together?

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• 4. Does it work well as a read-aloud?
• 5. Are illustrated features consistent from page
  to page?
• 6. Do the page turns, back grounds, and borders,
  help tell the story?
• 7. Do the lines, colors, shapes, and textures
  enhance the story?

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• 8. Is the artistic style appropriate for the
  story?
• 9. Is the book printed on quality paper?
• 10. Is it recommended in professional sources?
• PS Majority of picture books are created with
  watercolors.
• Beware of picture books with too much text.

Kirby, Ramona. Selecting picture books for your
library media center. Library Talk, pp. 15-19,
November/December 1999