The Power of Picture Books

Article by: Sunshine Girl On A Rainy Day

As a former foster child, youth advocate and Children’s Librarian, I am reminded almost daily of the power of children’s literature.

Picture Books have the power to positively impact parenting, promote literacy, increase emotional vocabulary and teach caregivers the value of positive reinforcement.

Well-written Picture Books can equip individuals to cope with their daily lives. They can assist children in making sense of loss and/or displacement. They can teach coping mechanisms for dealing with bullies.

Here are some of the most powerful and life-changing Picture Books that I have come across lately. I encourage you to take advantage of their insights. These books are available for purchase at the UK version of amazon.com

Burningham, John.
Edwardo: The Horriblest Boy in the Whole Wide World.
Red Fox, 2007. ISBN: 0099480131
Edwardo starts out as a perfectly normal boy. Sometimes messy, sometimes noisy and once in a while he drops things. Most boys his age behave the same way. But the adults in this child’s life begin to shower him with criticism. They tell Edwardo that he is noisiest, nastiest, dirtiest boy in the world.

Not surprisingly, the more negative reinforcement Edwardo received from his caregivers, the worse his behavior becomes. It is only when the adults in his life take time to consider Edwardo’s strengths and look for opportunities to praise him that his life begins to head back in a more positive direction.

This book is an important reminder to parents, teachers and caregivers to consider the impact of hastily chosen words. It can be shared in parenting classes geared toward preventing child abuse and promoting positive reinforcement of children.

Coffelt, Nancy. Fred Stays With Me.
Little, Brown, 2007. ISBN: 0316882690
A little girl whose parents are divorced insists that her dog, Fred, accompanies her from one parent’s house to the other. Her dog’s presence provides her with a sense of continuity and stability, as she bounces back and forth between two homes.

A friend of mine, who teaches parenting classes for divorcing parents, wishes that every judge in family law and every attorney who practices family law had a copy of this book in their waiting rooms.

Jossee, Barbara. Nikolai, the Only Bear.
Philomel, 2005. ISBN: 0399238840
Nikolai the bear feels different from the other orphans. Staff members at the orphanage don’t speak his language. His games are perceived as too wild and rough. The adults around him seem unable to communicate with him or understand his motivations.

But from the moment that his adoptive parents appear, they make every effort to connect with him. When he growls, they growl back. When Nikolai claws the air, his adoptive mother reflects that gesture back to him.

His adoptive parents come from another country and speak a different language. But they are willing to learn to communicate with him. They are not afraid to take his hand (or paw) in theirs, and to express pride and joy in his accomplishments. Because of their acceptance and approachability, Nikolai begins to trust them.

This book is an excellent resource for young children on international adoption. I hope that someday a book will be written for foster children to address their needs in such a readable format and in such an emotionally perceptive way.

Kasza, Keiko. A Mother for Choco.
Putnam, 1996. ISBN: 0698113640
A motherless bird seeks a place to belong… After a series of other animals draw attention only to their physical differences, Mrs. Bear appears and demonstrates what mother-love looks like at its finest. She takes Choco into her loving home and introduces him to his new (foster/adopted) siblings.

Lovell, Patty. Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon.
Putnam, 2006. ISBN: 0399246819
This book does a wonderful job in connecting with the day-to-day, real-life experience of childhood. It starts out with: “Molly Lou stood just taller than her dog and was the shortest girl in first grade.”

Children can relate to feeling small, changing schools and facing bullies. Whenever I read this story aloud to children in Kindergarten through second grade, they feel more empowered to face bullies — and they fall in love with Molly’s grandmother for giving Molly such a secure base and great advice.

This book can be used creatively in the social work realm as well: Since Molly’s parents are absent, and her best advice comes from her grandmother, this book is especially approachable for children in kinship care. When Molly moves away from everyone and everything she has ever known, this experience will also resonate with children in foster care.

O’Neill, Alexis. Recess Queen.
Spoken Arts, 2002. ISBN: 0804569177
Mean Jean the Recess Queen rules the playground. Nobody bounces until Mean Jean bounces. Nobody kicks until Mean Jean kicks.

Change comes only when newcomer Katie Sue offers Mean Jean something that she has never had before — a friend.

This book captures with humor and accuracy the motivations driving a school bully, and offers a great introduction to conflict resolution for children in primary school.

Prigger, Mary Skillings. Aunt Minnie McGranahan.
Clarion, 2005. ISBN: 061860488X
A story of successful relative placement, based upon a true story in the author’s family history. Aunt Minnie’s solitary and somewhat regimented life is interrupted by the arrival of her nine nieces and nephews. These orphans need a place to live, and their problem-solving aunt is determined to provide it for them.

While the townspeople shake their heads and predict disaster, Aunt Minnie comes up with a brilliant new system: “The oldest looked after the youngest, the ones in the middle looked after each other, and Aunt Minnie looked after them all.”

Weninger, Brigitte. A Child Is a Child.
Minedition, 2004. ISBN: 0698400062
When two young frogs are abandoned by their parents, all the other animals agree that this is truly a sad and terrible thing.

Blackbird can’t take them because “frogs can’t live in a bird’s nest.” Mole doesn’t think his molehill will be a good home either. Hedgehog points out that he is always on the move.

Meanwhile, Mama Mouse meets the frogs and decides to take them in. The other animals initially try to discourage her saying, “Frogs need completely different things than we do.”

But Mama Mouse replies, “That’s ridiculous. A child is a child.” She and her children welcome the frogs into her family, and encourage the other animals to help out in providing for them.

My friends who have adopted or fostered children have told me various stories about the level of support and approval that they have received from friends and family. This book is a nice tool to either educate the friends, or just bolster up your own sense that, yes, you are doing the right thing.

Zolotow, Charlotte. A Father Like That.
HarperCollins, 2007. ISBN: 0060278641
Young children growing up in single-parent families often struggle to verbalize their feelings of loss. In this book, a boy growing up without a father lists the activities that he wishes his absent father would share with him. He decides that when he is older, he will be the type of father that he never had.

Related articles:

Children’s Story Books Help Solve Problems

Best of the Best Fiction for Teens.