The holiday season is fully upon us and the ads for eReaders, audio-books and everything that is the latest and greatest in techi-temptation is out in full force. What will all of this forecast for the future of children’s picture books? Quite frankly, it makes the beloved hardcover picture book even more precious. How magical it will be to create a young child’s library with real books that perhaps were yours as a youngster. For years at Storyopolis, our clients have realized the value of a beautifully illustrated picture book. Those books became ever more important and special after the parents and their children have the exciting experience of meeting the author and/or illustrator and learning about how they wrote and illustrated the books. It is very meaningful and thrilling for a child when the author and/or illustrator sign and personalize the book on the title page. The book owner now has a history in itself about finding the book and has a fun story about acquiring it. The books become family heirlooms handed down and enjoyed for generations. You can’t go to a book signing and ask the author to sign your eReader or audio-tape.
One of our discussions with author and illustrator David Catrow, who was in Dallas for our speaker series, was about the picture book vs. the eReaders. It is hard to imagine a 4 year old cozying up to a cold thin, metal rectangle and be read to by a parent or caregiver. It takes all the fun out of exploring a book through the written words and art on high quality paper.
One of the most important attributes of a children’s book is the illustrations that are like candy to the mind’s eye. A child first reads through the art. The whole process of making inferences from the pictures is the catalyst for the desire to read the words on the pages. One can even say the process is also tactile and the first exposure to whimsical illustrations is through board books with pictures that fill the eye, touch and feel books (even bath books at tubbie time). These experiences strengthen the cognitive process and the pathways in the brain. In addition, many children with learning differences have improved their verbal skills and ability to “read facial expressions” by interpreting out loud the story told only by the amazing illustrations of great artists like Caldecott Winner, David Wiesner, in such books of his as “Sector 7” and “Flotsam”.
The point about ‘hands on, tactile learning” was driven home farther in a recent article in the New York Times, dated Monday, November 28, 2011. The article discussed how more schools are investing in blocks. Yes, those wonderful wooden toys (like picture books) have limitless potential and are very important playtime tools that “create opportunities to explore”. The article sited that “a 2007 study by Dimitri Christakis, director of the Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development at Seattle Children’s hospital, found that those with block experience scored significantly better on language acquisition tests.” Children’s picture books, moving parts books, touch and feel books, pop-up books, etc. like blocks offer necessary time apart from electronics to exercise the mind in a relaxed and creative environment.
A fabulous example of the impact of the illustrations and their power to help tell the story are books by Andrea Davis Pinkney and illustrated by her husband Brian Pinkney. Creating books for young people that smartly tell about the contributions of African Americans in our nation’s history in a way that children ages 4 – 8 can wrap their minds around is profound. Brian Pinkney’s illustrations help the child feel the emotions of the time through his use of color and the expressions of the characters. It melds beautifully with Andrea’s poetic style and makes a powerful and positive imprint in the mind of the child about the significance of the events depicted in their books like, “Sit In, How four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down” and “Boycott Blues, How Rosa Parks Inspired a Nation”.
Paul O. Zelinsky’s moving parts books spark excitement and curiosity in a child. It not only makes them want to try and read the story for themselves, but learn the mechanics of how the books are made. The astonishment on the face of a child when they open up one of Robert Sabuda’s pop-up books is priceless. Paper Engineering is an incredible art form; it is mathematical and at the same time entices the child to read the words. You may get “pop-ups” on your eReader or computer, but not like the kind Sabuda creates.
Furthermore, the art that is on those pages will be revered with greater fondness. Original illustrations from children’s picture books in which collectors have historically seen their value increase, will continue to be sought out pieces not just for a children’s rooms, but for the rooms of the young at heart. Nostalgia is a powerful emotion.
Even though our brick-and–mortar store no longer exists, we continue to get emails from clients for book recommendations and we are so happy to oblige. It is with great pride that we have been asked to make book recommendations in the Dallas and Collin County Child Magazine for young readers preschool to about age 12. The demand and desire for high quality, hard cover children’s books with great art is there. The appreciation for the artwork itself will find new and experienced collectors investing further in original illustrations.
While one can appreciate the convenience and ease of downloading a chapter book on an eReader, (I know many a librarian who have them) the pride in ownership of a beautifully bound hardcover chapter or picture book with clever endpapers and smartly edged pages will never go out of style.
