9 The Society of Children ’ s Books & Illustration Lovers – Newsletter # 1 – August 2013
�
I think the most important feature for very young children is familiarity with the subject matter . Newborn to three is generally before kids start widening their world to include anything outside family and home . Familiar objects , people , pets , behaviors . Basic fears : of being lost , of the dark , of loud noises like thunder ...
� I believe there are issues that surface in childhood that continue throughout our lives , and that when we ' re eighty , we ' re still negotiating these basic issues :
� separation , loss , and reunion ;
� dependence vs . independence ;
� insecurity ( which includes feelings of jealousy , envy , and rivalry ) vs . security ;
� delayed vs . instant gratification .
The stories that have the most powerful effects on both child and adult are ones that deal with at least one of these lifelong struggles . Though a child ' s experiences are different from a 20- year-old ' s , and a 30-year-old ' s are different from a 40-year-old ' s , the same feelings are at the core .
�
�
A good picture book for the young usually is a book that a child doesn ' t tire of , that he / she can repeat favorite words or lines from after a reading or two , that uses repetition and chanting rhythmic lines , language play and silly or even more sophisticated and many-syllabled words . Children love to repeat words like " cobbled " or " crumbled ," " trolley " or " bulldozer ." A good picture book reminds children what they already know , making them feel clever ; the cat sips milk , the cow sleeps in a barn , the giant stomps , the mice scurry , etc . A good book for the young allows a child to be brave , be smart , be comforted , be funny . If the bear is brave , he / she is . If the giant is smart , he / she is . More than anything , a good picture book brings them into the music or the magic of the moment .
A great picture book for young children is performance art between two covers . The text must be read aloud , and the words flow off your tongue smoothly and effortlessly , showing you how to say them . My favorite is So Much by Trish Cooke , illustrated by Helen Oxenbury . It has plenty of great sounds that kids can anticipate , and by the third or fourth page they ’ re chiming in with " DING DONG ! " and " SO MUCH ." Turning pages is an integral part of a picture book experience , and pacing is key . It can be jarring if one page has thirty words and the next , only three . And every word in a picture book has to count for something . There ’ s that great Mark Twain quote about how the difference between a perfect word and a near-perfect word is the difference between
9 http :// www . meetup . com / The-Society-of-Childrens-books-and-illustration-lovers /