Getting the Picture
One of my favorite things about children’s books is and has always been the wonderful art that accompanies the text and enriches the story. Now that my son is older, he is usually curled up in bed with a novel before lights out, rather than next to me as we read a picture book together. Our collection of these books was like having a mini-museum full of fine art sitting on a bookshelf right in our own home. We loved talking about the pictures as much as we loved the stories.
In fact, pictures help children build literacy. They provide clues to the text which can help early readers develop confidence and strategies to work out the written story on their own. Even children who are not reading yet can learn how to read the pictures for clues to the story. As you read a picture book together, point out actions and objects that are depicted in the illustrations. You can talk about colors, numbers, feelings, places and the order of events as they happen. Here's some ideas of how to begin:
These simple conversations about the pictures create a rich reading experience that will help prepare your child for school in many ways.
What picture books get you and your little one talking?
In Our Collection
Amazon Says: Celebrate diversity from sea to shining sea. Seventeen adorable photographs of babies from across the United States showcase the diversity of our country and the universal joy...
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Melissa T. Says: Koreans -- Juvenile fiction.
Amazon Says: Bee-bim bop (the name translates as mix-mix rice”) is a traditional Korean dish of rice topped, and then mixed, with meat and vegetables. In bouncy rhyming text, a hungry ...
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Melissa T. Says: Pets -- Juvenile fiction.
Amazon Says: Dear Zoo is twenty-five years old -- and still as popular as ever! And with an updated look, this classic children's storybook about a youngster loooking for a perfect pet is...
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Melissa T. Says: Bedtime -- Juvenile fiction
Amazon Says: In a great green room, tucked away in bed, is a little bunny. "Goodnight room, goodnight moon." And to all the familiar things in the softly lit room -- to the picture of the ...
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Melissa T. Says: Animals -- Infancy -- Juvenile fiction
Amazon Says: After meeting a bevy of baby animals— including a clever monkey, a sleepy leopard, and a dusty lion cub—the baby in this story discovers the most precious creature of all ...
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Melissa T. Says: Family -- Juvenile fiction.
Amazon Says: This is Lulu's story-all about her family and her favorite things-her pets, the snacks she loves to eat, her best friend, even her brand new red shoes! Focusing on the daily d...
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Melissa T. Says: Fishes -- Juvenile fiction.
Amazon Says: "A book that’s certain to make an impressive splash, whether read to one youngster or an entire storytime circle." —- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY Paddle along with Little Fi...
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Melissa T. Says: Automobiles -- Juvenile fiction.
My car has wheels.
My car has gas.
The horn goes beep.
Come take a ride.Amazon
Melissa T. Says: Shapes -- Juvenile literature
Amazon Says: Can you find what is round? What is square? In this timeless new split-pageboard book, children can find the bottom half of a page that matches the top half. Find the right pa...
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