August 26

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Why Picture Books Now? by Mary Boehmer

Posted by on August 26, 2017 in Pay It Forward | 8 Comments

Remember when picture books gave us a simple view of family, neighborhoods and the world at large? As readers we felt safe, cocooned between the pages of that one view, it was comforting.

Fast forward twenty years, an elementary school librarian in a small rural town that is made up of vast social economic disparities. School population of 100+ students from surrounding hill towns. I share these details because our school is a homogenized population, where most of the children are related to each other, have never traveled outside the general area and come to us with that simple view of family, neighborhoods and the world. Is that a bad thing? Yes and no. On the no side they feel confident and vocal to judge, what to them not may not be the “normal” picture of family. On the yes side, many of our students struggle emotionally and physically when their families don’t fit that simpler view. With little knowledge of the wider world and diversity they become more closed in mind, body and words.  How do we help our students see a more modern view of themselves and the world? The school library and books! As you can imagine the elementary schedule is busy, filled with common core and curriculum requirements, many challenges and changes on a daily basis. How do we help address the need for diversity among our student population in such a busy world? With picture books and Library Club! We meet each day for 30 minutes before school starts. Our focus is on picture books showcasing diversity and compassion in family, community and world. Students select a book from the displays, they can read with a friend or alone for fifteen minutes. Then they get together for Book Talk, discussing details from their book and taking questions from the group. When there is a continued interest in a book it is reread out loud and the discussion continues the next day. A wonderful resource for books on diversity and compassion is Donalyn Miller’s Book List for 2016-2017. Donalyn Miller is the author of The Book Whisperer and Reading in the Wild. #DonalynMillerBookList #DonalynBookGiveaway

I have found that after reading books on diversity and compassion the Library Club students start to share their growing knowledge of diversity outside of the club, during lunch time, while chatting with friends, in their art and especially during library book check out. With exposure to books on diversity and compassion students stretch their comfort zones into new and wider reading adventures. They start to recognize and become comfortable with the many different forms of family and begin to develop empathy with the understanding that family is not one size fits all. Students start to become more accepting, compassionate and patient with each other in and outside of the classroom and library.

 

 

One of our top picks to start off with is: Life, by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Brendan Wenzel. 48 pages. This book is especially good to begin discussions on what it feels like to be part of a big world. The spare text and engaging animal illustrations help children relate to situations and feelings they may have experienced themselves.

Cynthia Rylant starts her text with “Life begins small, then grows…” as does the story. A compassionate and inspiring look at the natural world through various animals eyes, who find strength through adversity in their everyday lives. Leading them to look at their world with compassion and trust. Rylant conveys masterfully the importance of life’s journey with deceivingly simple text and reminds the reader that no matter what life brings there is always room for love. Brendan Wenzel’s child friendly illustrations are infused with color and imagination, shifting the mood from dark to light and bringing the story full circle with a deep appreciation for the natural world and its wonders. This book is a beautiful read aloud for story time, library time, bed time, and any time. Recommended for children 4-8 years old, but really for any age reader in search of inspiration with the message that to live is to grow.

 

Cynthia Rylant has written over 100 books for children. She is the recipient of the Newbery Medal for her novel Missing May.

Brendan Wenzel has illustrated several acclaimed animal themed picture books including They All Saw a Cat and is a Caldecott Honoree.

The need for diversity and compassion in children’s literature is now. Authors and illustrators have stepped up, publishers are recognizing the need and through this genre our children are gaining insight, empathy and strength of who they are. Just a small thing like a library club can provide a world of enrichment. Many thanks to all the authors, illustrators, publishers, librarians and teachers who continue to recognize the need and bring diversity and compassion to the world of Picture and Young Adult Books.

 

Mary Boehmer is a teaching librarian. She is continually spreading the joys of reading through library clubs, extended day school programs and family literacy events. Along with fellow literacy committee members she is dedicated to providing children with constant opportunities to read and receive books from the library and helping and helping children and families start their own home collections.