What do pics have to do with this?

Put a book in a child’s hand - not an electronic device. Though the visuals and audio from an eBook is resourceful for children, it is crucial that parents read to their children. Children learn most from what is taught at home, and what values are placed on education. If the children get read to by their parents often, children will value reading more. As Temple (2018) states, it is important that children have books because books tell stories about different people and about people like them – relating to their own experiences. You must home in on children’s own culture and others’ cultures; this is what makes good children’s books. Picture books are crucial in children’s reading as they process the information they are seeing using text and visuals. In both Wolf in the Snow by Mathew Cordell and the Grand Canyon by Jason Chin, the authors elicit a story that interests children in stories that are from different perspectives from their own culture.

In Wolf in the Snow by Mathew Cordell, he develops a plot of a student who gets lost and of a wolf who gets lost. The two characters in the story are the daughter and the wolf. They both get separated from the families. Cordell can thoroughly explain his plot using visuals. As Temple (2018) describes, “Books with minimal text are related to the category of wordless books. The story is told predominately through the illustrations, as in wordless books, but few words are strategically included” (Temple, 2018, p.56). Cordell’s use of images to portray his story in a logical and flowing sequence is sure to catch a child’s interest. He includes very little words, only to emphasize meaning, when the girl and the wolf are alone in the blizzard. As a child reads this book, they can create their own story as to what they think is happening. According to Temple (2018), “settings can figure so strongly as to share equal attention with the characters in the story” (p.29). Because of the girl and the small wolf out in the cold blizzard, the images used can give a vivid visualization as to what the characters are experiencing.

In the Grand Canyon by Jason Chin, he provides information about the Grand Canyon using two characters navigating through the canyon themselves. As the characters progress through the canyon, Chin (2018) gives details about the historical aspects of the canyon and how they are easily found in front of the tourists. As Temple (2018) address realistic fiction, “settings in realistic fiction are usually described in great detail. Just as the genre of a work sets and limits our expectations for what can happen in it, the way a setting is described in realistic fiction sets up and limits our expectations for what can happen in that work” (Temple, 2018, p.28). The way the information is provided to students give them a chance to imagine how the Grand Canyon is and, at the same time, how the Grand Canyon was in the past. Chin can tap into children’s imaginations through the images. In one of Chin’s (2018) pictures, he shows the girl underwater and holding her breath. This gives students something they have experience by holding their breath in. In accordance with Temple (2018), realism is most commonly used in children’s books and are used to provide accurate representations of a historical or cultural setting. Chin is able to grasps children’s attention through the use of text and visuals by children wanting to flip to the next page with his use of three dots (…).

Picture books are essential to the development of children’s reading skills. Picture books give children the opportunity to learn about themselves and others – while giving them the opportunity to analyze a story that is being presented to them.

References:

Chin, J. (2018). Grand Canyon. New York: Roaring Book.

Cordell, M. (2018). Wolf in the snow. New York: Feiwel & Friends.

Temple, C., Martinez, M., & Yokota, J. (2018). Children’s books in children’s hands: An

introduction to their literature 6th Ed. New York: Pearson.

#PictureBooks