“Picture Books No Longer a Staple for Children”
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/08/us/08picture.html
Wow…I was shocked to read this article…and I’m an elementary literacy teacher!
The main idea of the above article is that book stores and publishers are seeing decreasing sales in new picture books. Sales in classic books, like those by Dr. Seuss and Maurice Sendak, still seem to be popular, though. In the article, the economic timidness of families is partially to blame, which I think is a bit silly. Mostly to blame in this article, though, are parents who are pressuring their children to read more challenging text with less pictures sooner in their lives. Parents feel they need to push their children in reading because of state testing.
As mentioned in this article, picture book themes and the author’s purpose can be just as complicated as some chapter books. Plus, how much do you think a five-year-old really grasps from a chapter book meant for sixth graders? Even if a very young child is reading on the sixth grade level, the scaffolding needed in order for a child to truly grasp the mature topics of that book is extensive. Why not have children read picture books that have more appeal to most of them anyway, so they can truly enjoy the reading experience. Can’t they still pull themes, discuss problems and solutions, retell the stories, and learn new vocabulary? Of course. I understand parents who read a chapter book to their child that is above his/her instructional reading level, but six grade levels above? Are your prepared to discuss the complexities, character development, and storyline with your child? (If so, thumbs up to you! It’s a lot of work, but it can be done appropriately…)
And why are the classic picture books selling as usual? Are today’s picture books not as good? Has the quality lessened? Most times when I browse the children’s section of book stores, I’d have to say yes. Those classic authors with quality literature are what I seek to add to our school’s library whenever I can. Can’t commercialism destroy book selection? Give me a classic Eric Carle, Patricia Polacco, or Eve Bunting book any day.
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