We are unabashed fans of picture books so it’s little surprise that an opinion piece in The New York Times was quite a point of conversation amongst our staff. The article, entitled “Your Kids Aren’t Too Old for Picture Books, and Neither Are You,” was written by Pamela Paul, the editor of the Book Review at the New York Times, and reminded us that picture books are for everyone. Full stop.
Written and Drawn by Henrietta: A TOON Book by Liniers (TOON Books, 2015)
The rise of digital platforms, interactive mobile apps, and widely accessible multimedia children's content has encouraged, nay demanded, picture book publishers to double down on the textual, visual, and physical quality of a book. Their investment is well reflected by the richness and diversity of voices, stories, and linguistic and artistic styles represented on our bookstore shelves.
“Picture books,” Paul writes, “also offer an accessible way for children to understand that books are for them, no matter who they are or where they’ve come from.” These storytellers give us empowering new language and perspectives in books like Eyes that Kiss in the Corners, My Name is Like a Song, and I Talk Like a River. These messages, while written for children, are often impactful for us adults too by expanding our rigid mindsets with inclusive narratives, reclaiming childhoods of underrepresentation, and helping us to reframe conversations. In a picture book, genres don’t live in the restrictive categories of adult fiction. A picture book with magical realism, mystery, poetry, is just… a picture book. We breach the covers of these stories with a posture of openness; welcoming a storyteller to use almost any convention at their disposal to entertain, instruct, or transport us. And isn’t that refreshing?
Du Iz Tak by Carson Ellis (Candlewick Press, 2016)
We are living in a golden age of visual storytelling and yet we often feel overwhelmed by constant barrage of messaging. And this too is where picture books provide a powerful tool for visual literacy because the emotional or thematic intent of a story is rather straight forward and an easy way for us to experience the interplay of form and content.
Nonfiction books like the new DK encyclopedias are filled with vibrant photos and graphics along side blocks of text. Long gone are the days of graphic novels being a storytelling platform limited to superheroes. The content and focus of graphic novels for young readers spans from literary adaptation, nonfiction biographies, to fantastical adventure sagas and slice-of-life depictions from top literary talent. In picture books, details are tucked into page corners, out of focus, in the margins, ready to reward the critical, curious eye or perhaps, encourage the repetitive reading behavior of a picture book lover who joyfully curls up with the same book over and over. As Paul writes: “[Children] learn that you have to look closely to ferret out clues and derive meaning. They are also learning to read deeply.” In time-based media, like television, we are moved through a visual experience at someone else's behest but with a book, we pause, rewind, reread, and enjoy at our own pace.
The physical book itself is a marvelous, evolving extension of the story world (learn about the parts of a picture book here). Gold-embossed dust jackets (like on Ocean Meets Sky), breathtaking covers (again, Ocean Meets Sky), and detailed endpapers (yep, also Ocean Meets Sky) imbue value, longevity, and love in a world of transactional and cheap items that often fill a child’s shelf space. Some picture books are printed on 100% recycled paper or with environmentally-friendly soy-based inks that remind us about the life-cycle of paper, the intentionality of craft, and the integrity of mindful storytelling and mindful book production: all to enhance a reader’s engagement and relationship with a physical book.
We are passionate about picture books because the experience of reading these books alone or enjoying them aloud with young readers is enriching. We travel back to the very first time we read that funny story about a very hungry caterpillar and poked our little fingers through the perfectly round holes of the Monday leaf. When the textual and visual storytelling converge elegantly with the physical book construction, we feel transported from our fast-paced world into a space where our eyes can linger, our minds can wander, and time itself tiptoes gently by.
da Shop staff picks: (mostly) Picture Books
Dave, da Shop Owner
- Mother Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins
- Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress written by Christine Baldacchino, illustrated by Isabelle Malenfant
- Ho‘onani: Hula Warrior written by Heather Gale, illustrated by Mika Song
- Issun Boshi by Icinori
- The Undefeated written by Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Kadir Nelson
Mariko, Resident Artist and Plant Mama
- What’s Cooking at 10 Garden Street? by Felicita Sala
- The Octopus Escapes written by Maile Meloy, illustrated by Felicita Sala
- The Liszts by written by Kyo Maclear, illustrated by Julia Sarda
- Chirri & Chirra: The Rainy Day by Kaya Doi
- Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey by Erin Entrada Kelly
Dimpna, Team Cheerleader & Education Specialist
- Perdu by Richard Jones
- Avocado Asks by Momoko Abe
- If I were a Dog by Joanna Cotler
- We are Water Protectors written by Carole Lindstrom, illustrated by Michaela Goade
- When Lola Visits written by Michelle Sterling, illustrated by Aaron Asis
Diane, Events & Special Projects
- Du Iz Tak? by Carson Ellis
- Yves Klein Painted Everything Blue and Wasn't Sorry, Yayoi Kusama Covered Everything in Dots and Wasn't Sorry, Banksy Graffitied Walls and Wasn't Sorry, Jackson Pollack Splashed Paint and Wasn't Sorry.
- The Snail With The Right Heart: A True Story written by Maria Popova, illustrated by Ping Zhu
Lani, Shop Guardian
- Manu the Boy Who Loved Birds by Caren Loebel-Fried
- Chirri & Chirra: Under the Sea by Kaya Doi
- The Bench written by Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, illustrated by Christian Robinson
- S Went Surfing in Hawaii illustrated by Ruth Moen Cabanting
- The Snail With The Right Heart: A True Story written by Maria Popova, illustrated by Ping Zhu
Kristen, Blog and Newsletter Queen
- The Barnabus Project by Terry Fan, Eric Fan, & Devin Fan
- I Talk Like a River written by Jordan Scott, illustrated by Sydney Smith
- The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O'Neill
- The Old Truck by Jarrett Pumphrey & Jerome Pumphrey
- If You Come to Earth by Sophie Blackall
Jennifer, Inventory & Operations
- The Empty Pot by Demi
- The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
- How to Apologize written by David Larochelle, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka
- The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
- I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen
Reference: Paul. Pamela. (2021, February 20). Your Kids Aren’t Too Old for Picture Books, and Neither Are You. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/20/opinion/sunday/picture-books-reading.html