(Let's all hum along to the Oliver tune: FOOD, Glorious FOOD! Substitute the words PICTURE BOOKS, Glorious PICTURE BOOKS! It's a stretch, but you can do it! All together now, 1...2...3... HUM!)
For starters, try this post with comments from leading picture book creators about WHY picture books are so important (and always will be). Who better to comment than Rosemary Wells, Tomi DePaola, and other award-winning stars of the kid-lit world?
Then there's Mr. Schu's remarkable homage to Picture Book Month on his blog, Watch. Connect. Read. You won't want to miss this one: video book trailers, outstanding titles, and the announcement of his Mock Caldecott list for 2013 picture books.
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An impressive variety of outstanding titles is featured in the @YourLibrary blog, too. A quick glance at the book covers and brief reviews offers a sampling of the wide-ranging topics, targets, and tones within the world of picture books.
Wrap up your tour with BookLovingGrandma'sBlog post. She reminds us that picture books from the past are worth celebrating, too. In fact, the timeless quality of picture books is one of their most amazing qualities. For example:
Chronicle Books, 2002 |
Capstone: Picture Window Books, 2014 |
With a story created by Patti Kim and pictures by Sonia Sanchez, HERE I AM is a 2014 release set in modern day New York City. When a young Korean boy's family relocates there he finds himself overwhelmed and confused, unable to read his new environment, literally and socially. Self-imposed isolation is his solution. When his special seed, his familiar source of comfort, drops out a window he braves the unknown and gradually discovers a welcoming array of people, places, aromas and activities in his new city. This is a wordless book blending picture book illustration patterns with graphic panels to reveal a story that is both specific and universal. The author note indicates it, too, is based on a true story, the author's own.
In both cases there are fascinating visual details, emotions, and cultural references. The story lines are location referenced and anchored in specific times, separated by an ocean and more than a century. Yet both address the question of a young person feeling alienated from his or her home life and society's expectations.
The power of picture books lies in this remarkable versatility and universality. What are you doing to celebrate and share picture books this month? (Or ANY month!)
Popped back in to add a post from the incredible Debbie Ohi on this topic just posted on her InkyGirl blog.
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