Picture Books No Longer a Staple for Children

Picture Books No Longer a Staple for Children (New York Times, Oct. 7, 2010) http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/08/us/08picture.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

Book publishers have scaled back on the number of picture book titles published because:

a.)   The economic downturn.

b.)   Parents want kindergarteners and first graders to read chapter books instead.

c.)   Rigorous standardize testing in schools has fueled the exodus from picture books.

d.)   All the above.

Unfortunately, the answer is d.). If I hadn’t read the New York Times article, I think I would have picked a.), because hard covered picture books are outrageously expensive. Why would parents prefer or prohibit five and six year olds from enjoying picture books?

According to a source quoted in this article, children as young as four years old are being discouraged from engaging/reading picture books and are being pushed towards chapter books instead.  Misguided parents seem to think that a book without illustrations and lengthy text equates with a more sophisticated and richer reading experience for their child, thus making their child more successful.  They obviously have not experienced reading, The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pickney, a very sophisticated book without any text.

Many first graders boast that they can read chapter books.  Some can actually comprehend the lengthy stories. For them, and for their parents, it is a milestone. Much like when they loose the training wheels and are able to ride the two wheeled bike alone.

I caution those parents who rush their children from picture books to chapter books. All first grade children love picture books!  When given the choice, and when chapter books are beyond the novelty stage, first graders will almost always choose a picture book to read alone or to share with a friend.