I love picture books.
It's sincere. I love reading
them, writing them, talking about them...you name it. So when a fine person like Kurt asked if I'd
write a little about the power of picture books, he had me at “Hey, Dev...”
With so many posts out there about the power of picture
books for kids- many of which I've myself written, I thought I'd go in a
different direction and talk about the power of picture books for those a
little longer in the tooth, like me.
Of course, before I became a writer, my main adult
relationship with picture books was as a parent, reading them to my kids, stack
after stack. I was thrilled that they
loved books and pictures so much, and welcomed getting to curl on the couch and
just read instead of playing “these thirty-eight tiny dolls need to get dressed
for a ball that will never happen” again.
What I discovered reading all those picture books, and what
I'd forgotten from my own childhood, is how joyful it is to have an idea
distilled to its elements. There is something wonderful about a clear idea and
applicable message, the same way I glean so much from wonderful quotes. What grownup doesn't benefit from remembering
that,“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get
better. It's not.” or that you can be a bull and choose not to fight, or that
you can get over getting dirt on your new shoes. We're supposed to know all that stuff, we're
grownups. But you know what? We forget.
We're busy, we're inundated with news, sometimes we're exhausted,
overworked, or overwhelmed.
The Missing Piece reminds me to enjoy the journey, to slow
down. The Lost Thing reminds me to look
for the unique things in the world and enjoy differences. The Last Stop on Market Street reminds me to
consider the richness of life and relationships instead of things. The Big Orange Splot reminds me to be myself
and not care what others think. Extra
Yarn reminds me of the magic in the world and how small gestures can create big
change.
Are there novels that convey these ideas? Yes. I
read those novels and I love those novels.
But as we aim to impart ideas, and not just plots to our kids, it helps
to have beautiful, short books that shout through the noise and ring our bells
a little. Growing up, after all, isn't just
a series of plot twists and cliff hangers.
Picture books can remind us who we wanted to be as parents and adults,
friends, and caregivers.
It's easy to put those old picture books in a box- whether
after we grow up or when our kids move onto chapter books and longer
novels. But I'll urge you to keep them
around. For them to page through, or
you. They will make you smile and remind
you of things you're supposed to know and sometimes still forget.
*****
Dev Petty is the author of CLAYMATES, I DON'T WANT TO BE A
FROG, and many more picture books to come.
Her latest, THERE'S NOTHING TO DO, is the third in the Frog series- It's
a silly look at what Frog does and doesn't do with a free day.
Dev was a Visual Effects artist on the Matrix Trilogy and dozens
of other projects before becoming a parent and picture book writer. She lives in the SF Bay Area with her family
and critters. She also makes a fine
sandwich and is very good at word jumbles.
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