The Power of the Picture Book: Debbie Ridpath Ohi

While I was growing up, my family didn't have the money to buy many books. Every week, my parents would take us to the library. My brother, sister and I would load up with books -- I still remember the secret joy of finding a book I couldn't wait to start reading. For me, the best picture books were ones that pulled me in, made me feel deeply, made me think.

I was fascinated by the imaginative problem-solving in Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel:

I was both horrified and delighted by Sal's mischievous inclination to disobey her mother in Blueberries For Sal. I also remember imagining how scary it must be for Sal to suddenly realize she had been following the wrong mother.

Swimmy was another favorite, not just because of the art (which I studied again before illustrating Sea Monkey & Bob), but because I was drawn to the spreads that made me feel scared and vulnerable. Even now, many years later, I look at those images and feel a delicious flutter of unease of somewhere deep down.

As an adult, I still enjoy reading picture books. And I'm still drawn to the books that pull me in, make me feel deeply, make me think. As a children's book creator, I want to help make these kinds of stories.

It's one reason I felt so lucky to be invited to illustrate Michael Ian Black's story, I'm Bored (Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers):

This was my first picture book, and I was overwhelmed by the response from young readers. This letter, featuring a drawing of the Potato character from I'm Bored, remains my all-time favorite:

When I was asked to illustrate the next book in the series, I'm Sad, I cried the first time I read Michael Ian Black's text. I also laughed. I think this story will affect adult readers in different ways, depending on their own life experience.

Click here to see a bigger version of the above sample image from I'm Sad.

Mr. Schu asked Michael Ian Black what inspired him to write I'm Sad, and Michael said:

 "So often, when our kids (or our friends or co-workers or whomever) are sad, our instinct is to try to make them feel better instead of just being there for them in a supportive way without necessarily trying to 'solve' their sadness. We all feel sad sometimes, and when we do, it’s good to know we have people (or potatoes) in our lives who won’t think any less of us for feeling the way we feel and who will still love us no matter what."

So many of the picture books I read as a child had a profound effect on me as I grew up, helping me become the person I am today. I'm so aware of this as I create picture books for younger generations, and I feel tremendous responsibility.

Picture books have the power to shape lives.

If you haven't already, do read over the wonderful Power Of The Picture Book posts so far in Kurt Stroh's blog. So inspiring!

Just a few:

Jess Keating's Mr. Blobby talks about some of his/her favorite picture books. Nancy Paulsen shared some of her favorite picture books, each offering an eye-opening slice of life. I loved the quotes from Kirsten Picone's fifth grade students about the power of picture books. Matthew Winner talked about picture books being mirrors and windows to readers, and the need for more diversity in children's books. Patrick Andrus talked about how sometimes a picture book comes along at the perfect moment, touching each and every reader. Mary Howard talked about defining moments in her book life. Don Tate shares how picture books helped him become a reader, and how he can now use picture books to tell stories that his younger self needed to hear.

Aliza Werner talks about picture books being a rehearsal for life, giving children a chance to experience different emotions in a safe space. Dev Petty points out how picture books are for grown-ups as well as kids. Travis Crowder shares how he asks students to create their own picture books, and what they learn in the process. Aaron Zenz celebrates picture books and creators that have influenced his life, and includes fan art (!). Travis Jonker shares 12 weird, wonderful things that picture books can do (that other books can't).

Deborah Freedman shares her thoughts on The Little Island and how it (like all her favorite picture books) all share something extra beneath the surface of their stories. Bridge Rieth talks about pumping up the volume in her classroom with a BookADay Challenge. Matt Tavares shares a moving moment from a school visit and its impact. Jason Lewis shares how his childhood hobby of collecting baseball cards helped prepare him for collecting picture books.

Michelle Knott talks about how the power of picture books is their ability to give voice, and how older students can benefit. Pernille Ripp talks about how how she uses picture books with her 7th-graders and how the picture books they read become who they are, a part of their story. Elly Swartz gives examples of pictures that help, comfort, guide, inspire and connect.

Thanks so much to Kurt Stroh for giving us all the chance to share about The Power Of The Picture Book!

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Debbie Ridpath Ohi is the author/illustrator of SAM & EVA and WHERE ARE MY BOOKS? (Simon & Schuster). Her illustrations also appear in books by Michael Ian Black, Judy Blume, Lauren McLaughlin and Rob Sanders. Her next book is I'M SAD, written by Michael Ian Black and illustrated by Debbie, coming out from Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers in June 2018. She posts about reading, writing and illustrating children's books at Inkygirl.com. You can also find her on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

The Power of the Picture Book: Dan Gemeinhart

There are plenty of ways I could approach talking about picture books.

I could talk about them as a teacher; I was an elementary teacher-librarian for thirteen years, so I was lucky enough to get paid to read picture books to kids five days a week. It was fantastic and joyful and a privilege...I'm sure I had at least as much fun as the kids did!

I could talk about them as a parent; as the father of three young daughters, I have so many treasured memories and present-tense experiences laughing and crying and gasping at picture books alongside my girls.

I could talk about them through the lens of my own childhood; I could share recollections of the beautiful and beloved books read to me by my teachers, librarians and parents...books that helped me become the person (and writer) I am today.

Any one of those angles could have been great. But they all have one thing in common: kids. Don't get me wrong. We should talk about kids when we talk about picture books, since kids generally are the target audience and chief enjoyers of picture books. However, if we only ever talk about kids when we talk about picture books, we're really missing out on wonderful and profound beauty of the picture book art form: picture books can be powerful and meaningful literature for grown-up readers, too. And I don't mean just grown-ups reading to a younger audience. I mean grown-ups reading and appreciating picture books themselves, on their own, as grown-ups.

A perfect example of how a picture book can be significant and important to an adult reader is one of my all-time favorite books of any genre or length: City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems, brilliantly illustrated by Jon J Muth. If you don't know this one, you owe it to yourself to get to know it. It's about friendship, it's about loss, it's about death, it's about grief, it's about healing. It is, simply put, a masterpiece.

I read it once to a kindergarten class. They totally got it. Even though it is a quiet book, a thoughtful book, a deeply sad book in many ways – and even though they were, after all, wiggly-bodied kindergarteners – they totally got it. They sat in silence, they nodded along, they sighed, and more than a few of them were sniffling by the end. But their reaction, true as it was, isn't what I remember most. When I finished reading, I looked up and saw one of my fellow teachers. Passing through the library, she had stopped to listen to the understated but flawless prose. She was standing at the back of the room, tears on her cheeks. She had recently marked the anniversary of the death of her husband, and that quiet little picture book had moved her in a deep and utterly grown-up way. It didn't matter that it was “just” a picture book, that it was only 32 pages and a few dozen words. It was true, and it was important. It was beautiful.

Another staff member was once having a very hard time with the passing of her dog (who she loved more than most parents love their children). I found her at her desk, with red-rimmed eyes and a pile of Kleenex and a broken voice. Later that day, I sent her home with Dog Heaven, by Cynthia Rylant. I knew that book – all about what dogs might do and love and feel in heaven – might just be exactly what she needed. And it was, she told me later. She didn't have to read it to a child; she read it to herself, and while it may not have taken away any of her grief, it could at least add some comfort and some peace to that grief. And it did so in a way that a three hundred page novel or two hour movie simply couldn't.

A picture book that has personally impacted me as an adult reader is the gem Each Kindness, written by Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by E.B. Lewis. Its lesson about loneliness and cruelty and kindness and regret resonated deeply with me when I first read it. I didn't have to read it through the viewpoint of a schoolyard bully or troubled child; it has wisdom for me as a grown-up, as a parent, as a teacher, as a friend. Just like our children, we grown-ups are surrounded by fellow human beings; human beings who feel pain and anger and sadness and remorse and isolation. And, just like our children, we grown-ups sometimes need to be reminded to keep an eye out for those fellow human beings, to care for them and console them and comfort them. Sometimes we grown-ups need to be inspired to be the kind of person we want to be, and to be the kind of person we want our children to be when they are grown-ups. And there's nothing better than a picture book to do that reminding and inspiring.

I hope my children grow up to be grown-ups who are thoughtful. Who are kind. Who care about others. Who are decent and empathetic and big-hearted.

I hope my children grow up to be grown-ups who read picture books. 

*****

Dan Gemeinhart is a former teacher-librarian in Washington state. He is the father of three girls and the author of four books: The Honest Truth, Some Kind of Courage, Scar Island, and Good Dog (coming out March 2018). 

The Power of the Picture Book: Dr. Paul Bloomberg

The first time I heard Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco read aloud – it changed my life – literally. I was absolutely mesmerized. Patricia Polacco has this uncanny ability that gets straight to the heart.

The author shares the story that she claims has been passed down through the generations from her great-great grandfather Sheldon (Say) Curtis about his friendship with Pinkus (Pink) Aylee during the Civil War. Say is a teenaged white soldier from Ohio who is injured in battle in Georgia and discovered by Pink, an African American soldier.  Pink brings him back to his home to be tended to by his mother. While he mends, Say bonds with Pink and his family but the two young soldiers are eventually caught by Confederates and sent to the prison camp Andersonville. Pink's fate breaks your heart, but Say keeps his memory alive as he survives the war, and the book puts a human face on the devastation of this terrible time in our nation's history.

 

I was finishing my graduate work in music performance at the University of Colorado and I decided to take a children’s literature course taught by Professor Shelby Wolf.  When Shelby read aloud she would become the characters; she could take us on their adventures while simultaneously sparking class dialogue about so many issues and topics. Shelby’s passion was social justice and we were always digging into books that illustrated these issues.  After leaving my first class with Shelby, I questioned my whole life’s journey as a musician. It was in that moment that I realized I wanted to explore elementary education; I wanted to make a difference. I extended my graduate studies one more year to get my elementary teaching credential. This began my journey as an educator and I have never looked back, it was the best decision I have ever made.

I will never forget the day that we read Pink and Say in class. Shelby began reading the story and then passed the book to each one of us to read a page or two.  When it was my turn to read, I got the book and my voice was quivering because I was full of emotion. As the book drew to a close Shelby read the last page.

This book serves as a written memory to Pinkus Aylee since there are no

living descendants to do this for him. When you read this, before you put this

book down, say his name out loud and vow to remember him always.

Our class was silent for a moment and then Shelby had us say his name out loud three times. Our class was transformed.

I was transformed.

I had never realized the power of a picture book and how much a book could transform a moment and create collective energy by engaging in powerful group think.  Picture books can introduce complex ideas and concepts in a safe and nurturing environment. They are more than stories, they are works of art.  No matter what the topic, concept, issue or emotion, there is most likely a picture book that addresses it. 

The authors of picture books become the best writing teachers. We look to Sandra Cisneros and her book Hairs/Pelitos learn how to write descriptively.

Picture books support us in teaching about universal theme. One of my favorites is The Table Where Rich People Sit by Byrd Baylor. A great reminder of how rich we all are, if we look beyond material possessions.

When teaching about point of view and perspective you can’t go wrong with Voices in the Park by Anthony Browne.  Possibly the best book for teaching point of view – four “voices” tell their version of a walk in the park.

It is impossible to find a favorite picture book because there are so many that have inspired me to become a better teacher, a more empathetic person and to be a better human being. I can’t imagine teaching without them. I owe this love of picture books to Shelby Wolf – the person who inspired me to be a teacher.

*****

Dr. Paul Bloomberg is a Corwin Press bestselling co-author of Impact Teams-Building a Culture of Efficacy and a co-author of The Empowered Learner, Student-Centered Assessment Toolkit by Schoolwide Publishing.  He is also the CEO and founder of the Core Collaborative, a professional learning network devoted to putting students at the center.  

The Power of the Picture Book: Michelle Simpson

As a teacher-librarian in an elementary school, picture books play a huge part in my daily routine, whether I am reading, sharing, or recommending. They entertain, challenge, teach, stir emotions, and lead to important discussions. In a busy world, a picture book can share a lasting message with a vast number of people in a matter of minutes. I often find myself excited to watch the reactions of children as we read a new picture book.

When I first became our school’s librarian, I quickly started reading some of the books from our state’s Monarch Award list to our students. This list of books is geared to kids in kindergarten through grade 3. The first book from this list that I chose to read was Duck! Rabbit!, and it was a huge hit, as anyone who has read it can imagine. I adored the book, but I didn’t realize how much the students would love it or how much fun I was going to have reading it to them. Children were laughing, debating, and discussing. They wanted to hear it a second time, and often a third time. Some were bound and determined to figure out whether that crazy character was indeed a duck, or if it was really a rabbit instead. Even though I hadn’t planned to read the book to my fourth and fifth graders (oh, what I’ve learned since then!), those classes always saw it and talked me into reading it to them too. I would have boys and girls stop by the library just to see if I would possibly tell them privately whether I knew what the character really was: duck or rabbit. I was absolutely delighted! Not only were we having fun with a fabulous book, but we were becoming linked together as readers and a school. We were connecting over a book. Duck! Rabbit! had grabbed a hold of our students and had become a school-wide read almost accidentally.

That book, as well as the author, Amy Krouse Rosenthal, who visited our school the following year, will always hold a special place in my heart because it really helped me to see how meaningful a special book shared among an entire school could be. When people have read the same book, they have a shared experience, some common ground. When it is a picture book, there is not a huge time commitment involved, and the shared experience is accessible to everyone. I can’t think of a better way to present all students with the same message at the same time. Picture books provide us with the perfect means to do just that.

During the past few years, we have shared so many special books, but there are a few others that ignited a spark that spread across our entire school. I haven’t always known which books would make this type of impact, but when it happens, it’s an amazing thing.

Creepy Carrots quickly became an RCES favorite, and we all became huge fans of Jasper Rabbit and those sneaky carrots. Every student knew that book.

Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson united us in a different way. I remember the thoughtful expressions looking back at me as I read it to classes. I think back to the silence as we finished it as students thought about what they had heard. We had some meaningful and powerful discussions over that book, and I believe that we all learned about the feelings of others.

Our school was in total celebration mode on the Friday after Josh Funk’s first book, Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast, was released. What an awesome experience it was for our kids to become a part of celebrating a book birthday with a brand new author! Students and staff members enjoyed all of the festive events throughout the day, but more importantly we developed a shared love for a new book written by someone our school considered a new friend.

Our official All-School Read for this current school year is Super Manny Stands Up by Kelly DiPucchio. We look to it for an example and a role model. It is really powerful when we all have that story, Manny’s story, in our minds and hearts. Many times Manny comes to mind when we discuss various situations and even other books.

Picture books are for everyone, and they are important for many reasons. One of these is how they can help in creating a community of readers, students, and even friends. Sharing a special book together creates a bond, even a sort of network among us. It can happen among families, friends, and even entire schools. Picture books can bring people together in ways we might have never imagined.

*****

Michelle Simpson is a teacher-librarian at Richland County Elementary School in Olney, Illinois. You can follow her on Twitter @m_simpson5 and keep up with her school’s library events at rceslibrary.com

The Power of the Picture Book: Carrie Davies

I Refuse to Rush Him

My 9-year-old son is an avid reader, and considers himself so.  He often has his nose in a book, and will talk with you about books, authors and illustrators as readily as he’ll talk to you about Michigan football and ocean life (two of his favorite things).  

He has grown up surrounded by literature.  His mom happens to be a teacher librarian, which means there is a constant flow of books in and out of our house.  Our bookshelves are overflowing to the point where piles of books can be found in just about every room of our house.  

He has been blessed by incredible teachers and a school librarian who have encouraged his love of reading throughout his schooling career.  

He has read and loved many incredible middle grade books, including Peter Brown’s The Wild Robot, Kate Messner’s Ranger in Time: Escape from the Great Earthquake, Jess Keating’s How to Outswim a Shark without a Snorkel, Gary Paulsen’s Brian’s Winter, and Liesel Shurtliff’s Red to name just a few.

He is a confident, capable, 4th grade reader.

So what does any of this have to do with a blog series about picture books?

He is a picture book lover.  He devours picture books more readily than his Halloween candy.  He will often ask me if I have any new picture books he can read.  He treasures signed copies of picture books from his favorite authors and illustrators.  When a new shipment of books comes to the house, without fail, he dives into the stack of picture books first.  He may check out middle grade novels after he’s torn through the picture book pile, but always, always, always, it’s picture books first for him.

And I refuse to rush him out of picture books.

I am more than happy to share, read and talk about picture books with him.  I willingly give in to his requests to bring stacks of picture books home.  When he chooses a pile of picture books to read before bed, I smile and ask if I can join him for a few.

I refuse to rush him out of picture books because of all he could miss.  

He could have missed Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean’s Most Fearless Scientist by Jess Keating and Marta Alvarez Miguens, and missed out on the power of learning about an inspirational pioneer in the field of marine biology.

He could have missed Claymates by Dev Petty and Lauren Eldridge, and missed out on seeing the power of creation and storytelling.

He could have missed Life by Cynthia Rylant and Brenden Wenzel, and missed out on the power and beauty found in the natural world.

He could have missed The Book of Mistakes by Corinna Luyken, and missed out on the power of seeing the value and gift that mistakes can be.

He could have missed After the Fall by Dan Santat, and missed out on the power of overcoming your fears and the power of persistence that lies in all of us.

He could have missed It’s Not Jack and the Beanstalk by Josh Funk and Edwardian Taylor, and missed out on understanding the power the narrator has (or doesn’t have…) in telling a story.

He could have missed I’ll Wait, Mr. Panda by Steve Anthony, and missed out on experiencing the power of being patient and the reward that comes with waiting.  

He could have missed out on these titles that he told me himself are some of his favorite recent picture books and the power that each one holds.

I refuse to rush him out of picture books.

My hope for him, and for my 7-year-old daughter, and for readers of all ages, everywhere, is that they will stay with picture books, now and forever. That they will grow and change and develop as people, and as readers, and will continue to add all types of books to their reading lives; but that picture books will always have a place there, too.  Their lives will be so much richer by the stories each of these 32-page treasures have to offer.

Stories of hope, of joy, of laughter.  Stories of the past, the present, the future.  Stories that challenge, that transform, that inspire.  Stories that are mirrors and windows.  Stories that make them think.  Stories that make them reflect.  Stories that make them question the world around them and their place in it.  Stories that make them fall in love with reading.

Ultimately, isn’t this what we want for our readers? Our students? Our own children?  

Let them stay.  Let them savor.  Let them enjoy.  Let them be impacted by the power of picture books.  

Refuse to rush them out of picture books.

*****

Carrie Davies is a K-4 Teacher Librarian in West Michigan.  She feels incredibly lucky to spend her days surrounded by her two favorite things -- kids and books. She’s married to an avid bike rider, is mom to a 9-year-old soccer player and 7-year-old Girl Scout, and they all live amidst piles of books. You can find her on Twitter at @readwithdavies.

The Power of the Picture Book: Kelly DiPucchio

I have always loved the word alchemy. It feels like an appropriate word to consider when talking about picture books. One of the definitions of alchemy is “a power or process that changes or transforms something in a mysterious or impressive way.”

From my perspective, picture books are alchemical wizards that take on a life of their own. Although try explaining that to your seatmate on an American Airlines flight from Detroit to Omaha when they ask what you do for a living. Many people outside of the kidlit community aren’t even aware of the secret power of picture books. Their ability to transform, to transmute. To make gold.

Over the years I’ve had the privilege of witnessing the power of picture books first hand through my own books. I once received a letter from a mother in New Zealand telling me her son had been afraid to go to sleep at night because their neighborhood had suffered much destruction after a strong earthquake shook their city. She went on to say that my picture book, CLINK, gave her son tremendous comfort and it was the only story he wanted to read at bedtime because the robots distracted him from his fear of the aftershocks.

When I first began writing for kids over twenty years ago, never in a million years could I have envisioned a real little boy halfway around the world reading a book I wrote, yet alone one that might transform his fear into joy.

I certainly never envisioned Grace for President creating a movement of sorts, one that has spanned nearly ten years.

Where are the girls?

I’ve met them. All over the country.

Girls like Kenya in Missouri who wrote in her letter to me, “Your book makes me want to be president, too.” 

That’s the power of a picture book!

But here’s the thing. Picture books don’t just change readers. They change the authors who write them.  They change the artists who illustrate them. They change the editors who publish them. 

Picture books can, and do, have the power to change the world. But not through policies, or treaties, or summit meetings. Picture books change the world through unconventional, stealthy means.

Extra-long necks. 

Fishy breath.

Spoooooky donuts.

Brilliant, artistic, wordless literature.

Fuzzy, little butts.

Paper airplanes.

Diving boards.

 

And beautiful salads, with croutons and a light vinaigrette.

Every picture book, whether it’s shared on a lap or in a library, creates a ripple effect we cannot often see. Sometimes the ripples are big. Sometimes they’re small. But always, always a picture book is a catalyst for change.

That’s alchemy.

That’s gold.

*****

Kelly DiPucchio is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty-five picture books. Some of her award-winning titles include, GRACE FOR PRESIDENT, GASTON, and SUPER MANNY STANDS UP. Kelly has been a featured speaker at numerous conferences such as ALA, IRA, and NCTE. She lives with her family in southeastern Michigan. You can find her on the web at www.kellydipucchio.com