Picture Perfect

Picture books have always held a special place in my heart. Combine lush illustrations with rhyming prose and I’m hooked.

I get the most joy as an artist from creating compositions that tell stories. The artwork in my series “Tails of Imagination” is a collection of self-contained stories that the viewer gets to imagine as they look at each image. As the series grew from a few paintings to dozens, setting these images to “words” seemed like a natural next step.

When I began creating my own picture book, “Tails of Imagination – Ordinary Pets, Extraordinary Adventures“, I started to wonder why I was so enamored with picture books in general. I made a long list of reasons and since I’m practicing to become a better writer, I whittled the list down to a few key points.

• Picture books bring kids willingly into the difficult task of learning to read.
• Clever and engaging illustrations prompt a child to ask the important questions: Who? What? Where? Why, and How?
• Picture books offer a multi-layer way to engage with a story, giving young children a chance to create good reading habits even before they have the skills or vocabulary to read independently.
• The act of listening as a book is read aloud helps a child to become a good listener.

Here’s a great video presented during Picture Book month (November), that sums it up nicely:

Why do you love picture books? What are your favorites? Please share in the comments below!