Picture That! Picturebooks - Chapter 3 Review and Class Discussion

Picturebooks come in many different formats, ranging from wordless and solely pictures to pictures with corresponding words.  Many would not consider wordless picture books 'reading' but though the omission of corresponding words, wordless picture books do encapsulate the fundamentals of reading.

During this chapter and class presentation, I recognized that picture books do not need to be categorized solely by their format.  Picturebooks span multiple genres and content areas, all the while having flourishing illustrations to go along with the text, if any.

I also didn't know that picture books are usually around 32 pages.  I figured that picture books did not have a set page span; that the length of the book was up to the author to decide, the illustrator to follow, and the publisher to produce.  I think what surprised me most when learning about picture books was their general format.  I did not think in depth about the similarities between picture books, but when they war pointed out and expanded upon, I did realize those commonalities:page length, signature openings, double page spreads, etc.

I think that, regardless of the grade level, picture books are valuable resources to the classroom because it not only expands children's literature knowledge, but also exposes them to different formats and artistic styles that are prevalent both today and throughout previous years.