A Mission and A New Look

I am on a mission!

"What is this mission?" you ask--

SAVE THE PICTURE BOOK

After reading the New York Times's article this October discussing the drastic decline in picture book publishing, and parents strongly urging their children to only read chapter books, I found myself flashing back to my past.

Reflecting back to all those times I scanned the shelves at my home, sat on the floor and flipped the pages to view illustration after illustration, I wondered who I would have been without "The Gorilla Did It," "Where the Wild Things Are," "The Polar Express," or "Goodnight Moon."

With the pictures on the pages I created my own stories; I saw my room become a forest, I waited late in the evening to hear the trains whistle outside my own frosted window, and in the evenings now--with the light gone--I whisper "Good night mittens and good night kittens..."

So to hear parents are saying, "My kid doesn't need books with pictures anymore." I have to ask what pictures they are creating for their own lives?

Which brings me to my mission to save the picture book. If you would like to help me on this mission, the first step is to share.

Take a fresh look at the picture book. Go to a bookstore, library, or shelf and pick a picture book up. Go ahead read it aloud and let the images impress your eyes. Next take the time to share the title of the picture book you read in the comment box below.

More to come later.