The holiday shopping season is starting in earnest, and I'll be hunting for children's picture books for the youngest members of the clan. Can I fall back on my own kids' favorites, or has time eroded their appeal? Well, I was happy to see that the list of the top 100 picture books for the 21st century, chosen by the readers of the School Library Journal, did include my own children's faves with Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, and Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown at spots No. 1, No. 2 and No. 4 respectively. That got me to thinking about what factors give these books their timeless appeal. Studying the comments of numerous editors, publishers and educators, I put together the following list of secrets to picture book success: illustrations that are colorful, varied and original; interesting, lovable, iconic characters to whom the child relates; humor or emotional appeal; an engaging and authentic concept or story line; text that is well written and plays with word meaning, repetition, rhythm and rhyming to fit the story context; interactivity that encourages the child to participate in story-telling; learning that is subtle and not didactic or boring; and re-readability, because little children engage with a book by repeating the experience again and again (so it better not be a book taxing adult patience). Looking at the list, you realize that, except for illustrations, classic picture books and classic adult literature share secrets to success: strong characters, engaging plot, good writing, and emotional connection. Perhaps an early diet of enriching picture books promotes adult reading enjoyment. Can't hurt! Shop the top-100 picture books at http://www.slj.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/SLJ_Fuse8_Top100_Picture.pdf
No comments:
Post a Comment