From: Judy O'Malley /General Pub. 4th Floor <jomalley>
Date: Fri, 9 Aug 1996 12:30:57 EST

Megan, thank you for making distinctions between picture books that respond to children's developmental needs and those that seem to be geared to very young children but are really more in synch with an adult aesthetic convention or sense of humor. I firmly believe that picture books can be appropriate for all ages, but those among the genre that are meant for preschoolers match well the tastes and interests of that age group. Picture books for older children have a separate set of criteria to fill.

Vera Williams' books are, for me, "true" picture books in the sense we've been using that term. More, More, More Said the Baby, in particular, both builds on and entends a child's understandings of and need for warm, loving connections with others. With humor, exuberance, and subtle skewing of what could have been stereotypic relationships, the art and text mesh so well that experiencing this book with a child or group of children becomes the very warm, inclusive bond the book celebrates.

Judy O'Malley Assoc. Editor H. W. Wilson
Received on Fri 09 Aug 1996 12:30:57 PM CDT