I met two friends in the library recently. As I came away from the picture book section with an armful of goodies, my 10 year old friend headed towards the same corner.
“Aren’t they a bit young for you?” asked Mum.
“Julia’s reading them.” came the confident, quick-thinking reply – with a grin.
Mum and I shared a smile, as her young reader started looking through the books on offer.
As a teacher, I have felt the pressure to move children onto more ‘challenging’ books to show ‘evidence of progress’. The potential of picture books can be overlooked by both teachers and parents. They have the potential to meet the needs of children (both young and old) on so many levels. The sheer enjoyment of curling up with a good book where words and pictures flow together. The lessons in life they so often bring us. The beauty of well-written texts, where words are few and far between – but skilfully sewn together.
My 10 year old friend made her library choices independently. She selected books she’d never read before, reading each in turn before deciding whether or not to add them to her take-home pile.
She introduced the books to me (I had only read one of her choices before) and shared her insights into the content and storylines. As I listened to her book talk, I couldn’t help wondering how many of the ideas she had come across would one day find their way into her own writing.
Her comments showed she had developed the skill of inference, “He’s blind – that’s why he couldn’t see the tree root.”
Reading and re-reading the text, in the library and at home, would allow her to absorb the richness of the language in Jeanne Willis’ ‘Mole’s Sunrise’ – the imagery, the alliteration, the similes…
My young friend also chose Joseph Coelho and Allison Colpoys’ ‘If all the world were…’, which tenderly handles the subject of grief and separation from a loved one.
…
‘Arthur’s Dream Boat’ by Polly Dunbar was a particular favourite – and one which Mum was given to read as soon as the first read was finished.
The story cleverly captures one family’s relationships and the distractions that can sometimes get in the way.
My 10 year old friend let me know when she returned the books to the library, so I could borrow them too. I sang their praises to the librarian when I checked them out.
“Oh,” she said, sadly, “My child’s too old for those now.”
“How old?”
“8.”
Read with Julia 
I love this post. Indeed there is no age barrier to picture books, we love them in our family. My 8-year-old daughter enjoys them immensely and every now and then my 12-year-old son listens in even if he is pretending to be otherwise occupied. There are a plethora of beautiful meaningful picture books available to us, how wonderful is that? And what a gift to our children to have access to libraries where they can wander and wonder to their heart’s’ content and fill their minds, hearts and souls with stories, adventures, explorations and beautiful art through illustrations.
Coming from a country with a lack of such provision, I never underestimate how blessed we are here. Thank you Julia, more books for our wish list too.
Thank you! It’s good to hear from other picture book fans. I totally agree – libraries are a gift.