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The last book shopping brings in a few picture books for Lun. All these weren’t a successful reading.
Firstly, i forgotten that Lun was too big for animal picture book cards. The vegetable book cards were boring too.
Chinese nursery books i’d bought was a failure.(Too difficult.) The only book that he read was the book that he had chosen.
This brings me back to the question on How to choose a good picture book.
An article from SinChew newspaper mention that best picture books doesn’t always come in a cute form. In fact, cute books will only mislead them to an unreal, flattering, fantasy world. Worst, when it has blurred their understanding between real and fantasy.
In other word, cute picture books will only under estimate children’s understanding power.
So, what is a good picture book?
A good picture book will have pictures that guide little readers into the story. It can also portrait the culture, feeling and things that weren’t written in.
Some books is cater for older children and some for every ages. Parents have to be caution in choosing.
For examples,
My Cat, the Silliest Cat in the World by Gilles Bachelet
This books provoke lots of giggles. At the same time it gives reader a 2nd thought, what if your cat is as big as elephant or is your cat a cat etc… It gave us the freedom to think wildly. This is a book for elder children, or to kids that had already know what cats and elephant look like. If i introduce this book to Lun now, he might not catch the joke or appreciate it. Not until he sees the real elephant.
Ollie the elephant( Pop-up book)
by BurnyBos (Author), Hans de Beer (Illustrator)
This is a great book for parents and kids with expecting baby. It deals with the emotions of getting a new baby in the family. Pictures are always better than words in describing the feelings. It is also a good book for those kids that yearning for siblings.
The authors uses animals instead of humans as different animals have more contrast in size, look and behavior. Thus, it is more easy to understand.
Sunday by Satoko Motohashi
This is the only book that was choosen by my son, Lun during the last book fair. This is also the only book that he is still reading.
“What is so special about this book?”
A purely illustrated black and white picture book. It has an animation sense in the pictures. The author creatively creates a scenario which is so real that it somewhat similar to our room.8)
First picture brings us to a untidy room of piles and piles of scattered books and clothes. The little girl, wakes up from her mother’s called. She saw the need to tidy. Scene by scene from a small to big. It shows the step by step from untidy to a clean room. When comes to the insecticide cockroach author creatively blur out the page. The is so much details in the drawing, it can call the attention of even an adult.
