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Re: Picture Books
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From: leonardsma_at_aol.com
Date: Mon, 08 Nov 2010 10:26:50 -0500
The attitude Rachel describes goes way back. Consider the following:
"Reading begins very early with us
; and the universal hurry of the American mind crowds children forward, and tempts them in pleasure, as in work and study, to rebel at the usual limitations of years, and pus h infancy prematurely into childhood, childhood into youth, and youth into maturity . . . Our heads are apt to be much older than our shoulders, and English critics of our juvenile literature say that much of it seems writ ten for the market and counting-room rather than for the nursery and playg round."
Osgood, The Atlantic Monthly, December 1865; quoted in MINDERS OF MAKE-BELIEVE, pp. 32-3.
Leonard S. Marcus 54 Willow Street, #2A Brooklyn, NY 11201 USA
T 718 596-1897 E leonardsma_at_aol.com W www.leonardmarcus.com
Message-----
From: Payne, Rachel To: ccbc-net_at_lists.education.wisc.edu Sent: Mon, Nov 8, 2010 10:04 am Subject:
Picture Books
Some of the things I hear in the early childhood education world echo some of sentiment here as we discuss the picture book. Early childhood educat ors have always struggled with conveying the message to some parents that play IS learning and that the "academics" of early childhood, blocks, san d, play dough, dramatic play, etc., look different than that of older chil dren. Many parents, who have their child's best interest at heart, feel comforted by workbooks and flash cards in classrooms for young children since that was what they remember of their own childhood learning. I won der if picture books have fallen out of favor for some parents because the y seem too playful, too "babyish," and not enough like books the parents remember reading in school. And, as The New York Times article, many parents are responding to the tre nd of a more academic preschool and the pressure to learn to read in kinde rgarten when they abandon picture books for chapter books. Just like publ ishing, there are cycles in educati on too, and we are in a phase where aca demic content is being aged down, just like chapter books. Piaget's "Amer ican Question," feels alive and well these days: how can we get the childr en to develop faster? Ikea has started a campaign encouraging parents to play more with their ch ildren and conveying the message that play is learning (while selling some of their playful products for kids). Seems like some sort of campaign is in order for the picture book so parents know just how much learning can take place as they playfully read with their child.
Best, Rachel Rachel Payne Children's and Family Services Brooklyn Public Library, Neighborhood Services 10 Grand Army Plaza Brooklyn, NY 11238 Tel: 718.230.2233 ~ Fax: 718.230.2784 r.payne_at_brooklynpubliclibrary.org Visit BPL's First Five Years site for information on our services for babi es, toddlers & preschoolers. P Please consider the environment before printing this email.
Date: Mon, 08 Nov 2010 10:26:50 -0500
The attitude Rachel describes goes way back. Consider the following:
"Reading begins very early with us
; and the universal hurry of the American mind crowds children forward, and tempts them in pleasure, as in work and study, to rebel at the usual limitations of years, and pus h infancy prematurely into childhood, childhood into youth, and youth into maturity . . . Our heads are apt to be much older than our shoulders, and English critics of our juvenile literature say that much of it seems writ ten for the market and counting-room rather than for the nursery and playg round."
Osgood, The Atlantic Monthly, December 1865; quoted in MINDERS OF MAKE-BELIEVE, pp. 32-3.
Leonard S. Marcus 54 Willow Street, #2A Brooklyn, NY 11201 USA
T 718 596-1897 E leonardsma_at_aol.com W www.leonardmarcus.com
Message-----
From: Payne, Rachel To: ccbc-net_at_lists.education.wisc.edu Sent: Mon, Nov 8, 2010 10:04 am Subject:
Picture Books
Some of the things I hear in the early childhood education world echo some of sentiment here as we discuss the picture book. Early childhood educat ors have always struggled with conveying the message to some parents that play IS learning and that the "academics" of early childhood, blocks, san d, play dough, dramatic play, etc., look different than that of older chil dren. Many parents, who have their child's best interest at heart, feel comforted by workbooks and flash cards in classrooms for young children since that was what they remember of their own childhood learning. I won der if picture books have fallen out of favor for some parents because the y seem too playful, too "babyish," and not enough like books the parents remember reading in school. And, as The New York Times article, many parents are responding to the tre nd of a more academic preschool and the pressure to learn to read in kinde rgarten when they abandon picture books for chapter books. Just like publ ishing, there are cycles in educati on too, and we are in a phase where aca demic content is being aged down, just like chapter books. Piaget's "Amer ican Question," feels alive and well these days: how can we get the childr en to develop faster? Ikea has started a campaign encouraging parents to play more with their ch ildren and conveying the message that play is learning (while selling some of their playful products for kids). Seems like some sort of campaign is in order for the picture book so parents know just how much learning can take place as they playfully read with their child.
Best, Rachel Rachel Payne Children's and Family Services Brooklyn Public Library, Neighborhood Services 10 Grand Army Plaza Brooklyn, NY 11238 Tel: 718.230.2233 ~ Fax: 718.230.2784 r.payne_at_brooklynpubliclibrary.org Visit BPL's First Five Years site for information on our services for babi es, toddlers & preschoolers. P Please consider the environment before printing this email.
---Received on Mon 08 Nov 2010 10:26:50 AM CST
