About Children's Picture Books
Picture books have changed throughout the years as they continue to explore pertinent topics relevant to the times. While yesterday's picture books typically centered on talking animals, today's pictures include more serious topics, such as divorce and blended families. However, the purpose remains the same. Besides still being used as a teaching tool and bonding time between parent and child, picture books continue to serve as a young child's first introduction to books.
Identification
A picture book is an illustrated book, mainly written for toddlers and preschoolers. Illustrations done in various art mediums, such as watercolors, acrylics, oils, colored pencils, collages and photographs, tell stories with limited or no text. They're written in a vocabulary that children can understand but not necessarily read, dealing with anything from simple stories to serious narratives.
Function
Picture books have two basic functions. They introduce young children to books, as parents read to them from the time they are infants. As a child matures, they learn to read the books themselves. Although they're geared for young children, some picture books are designed for older kids. Teachers sometimes use picture books to teach creative writing, prompting students to write sentences about what they see in the pictures. They also are used by parents and teachers as tools for discussing important topics.
History
Illustrated books of poems and short stories paved the way for the first picture books. A few English illustrators, whose books had more pictures than words, included Randolph Caldecott, Walter Crane and Kate Greenaway in the late 1800s. In 1902, Beatrix Potter's classic, "The Tale of Peter Rabbit," was published, which resembled the picture book format. Along with changes in technology, the format of a picture book has adapted changes in art technologies, including digital art. Also, as events in history have shaped the world, picture books have addressed multicultural issues.
Features
The typical picture book has 24 to 32 pages. Although most picture books are fictional, focusing on themes such as animals and traditional literature, others deal with realistic stories and information (nonfictional) topics. While the typical picture book has only a few words to accompany each illustration, some have no text at all.
Types
Picture books have many themes such as adventures, poetry and traditional literature, as well as useful lessons and information (nonfictional) topics.
Toy books are picture books that entertain and can be used as toys as well as books; they include board books, pull-tabs, flaps, pop-ups and books made from cloth and plastic.
Concept picture books are educational, introducing young children to shapes, telling time, colors, alphabets, counting and grammar principles.
Wordless books help children with language and storytelling skills.
Easy Readers, also known as beginning books, are transition books, preparing children to move from picture books to chapter books.
Misconceptions
People trying to write picture books often are misled, believing they have to be both the author and illustrator. However, picture books are usually composed by two different people. Even if a writer thinks he has artistic skills, it's advisable to have a professional artist handle the illustrations, as most publishers only want text.
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