Piece cross-posted on Early Word.
The hum you heard over the weekend came from children's librarians infuriated by Friday's NYT article, "Picture Books No Longer a Staple for Children." According to the article, parents discourage young children from picture books, pushing them to more text-based "chapter books." As a result, the article states, publishers are releasing fewer picture books.
Parents who snatch picture books from tiny hands and force "chapter books" on children barely old enough to decode the words overlook what picture books can do for young minds.
Here's what my librarian colleagues from around the country say about picture books.
P.S. Check out this kid-tested list of fabulous picture books to read aloud, selected by Bank Street College of Education's School for Children 1st through 4th graders and almost 2,000 students from our cooperating schools
Piece cross-posted on Early Word.
Monica Edinger: There's Good News and Good News about Picture Books
Patricia Benesh: Picture Books Move Over -- Here Comes the Vook
Alex Palmer: Adults Take the Fun Out of Reading, Again
Picture Books: Fading or Flourishing?
Picture Books Move Over -- Here Comes the Vook
Book Report: A fourth Millennium book; picture books fall out of favor
It is an open group - everyone is invited to join and pass the word/add your friends (although some people don’t find it when they search, and have had to paste this link (without the apostrophes) into their browser to find the page):
‘http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/home.php?sk=group_159866324045455&ap=1’
The idea is – get a million people to join and then ask the NYT to take note… people ARE reading picture books!
Thanks!
Margaret
Margaret H. Mason
www.callingmrtoad.com
A good selection of excellent books is available on my blog
Read Aloud ... Dad
http://readalouddad.blogspot.com
@readalouddad (on Twitter)