The New York Times Book Review of 12/5/10 mentions a recent news story that “the tyranny of standardized testing has stoked anxiety among some parents, who feel they must press chapter books on their offspring at increasingly younger ages, thus diminishing the market for picture books and causing publishers to prune their lists accordingly.” This is completely wrongheaded and extremely saddening. Any parent, teacher, author, child psychologist, kid, or former kid knows that picture books are joyful fun for young children, and stimulate the imagination and the enjoyment of books. Who can forget being read to by our parents or other adults, or reading to our children, such picture books as the following classics? (Some of my personal favorites are starred.)
-Goodnight Moon*
-Babar series
-Dr. Seuss books
-Corduroy series*
-Angelina Ballerina series
-Jamberry*
-Brown Bear, Brown Bear
-Frances series (e.g., Bread and Jam for Frances)*
-Curious George
-George and Martha series*
-Madeline
-Make Way for Ducklings
-The Snowy Day
-Peter Rabbit books
-The Very Hungry Caterpillar
-Where the Wild Things Are
-The Polar Express
-Miss Nelson is Missing
-Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
-Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile
-and many many more...
Monday, December 13, 2010
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