Why You Should Read Children’s Books
About a year ago, I was wandering into a children’s book store, not because I have children or searching for a children’s book but because the playful aesthetics of the space caught my attention. It looked like a store that would spark my imagination and bring joy by walking through the doors.
As I walked through the door, my eyes landed on shelves brimming with beautiful illustrations. Suddenly, I wanted to buy children’s books.
At first, I thought, but what will I do with them? I don’t have kids. But as I flipped the pages, I was reminded that children’s books aren’t just for children; they’re for all of us. Yes, you can buy them and read them to children, but you can also buy them for yourself.
Some non-fiction children’s books can teach a new fact or two. Recently, I learned a lot about beetles from the book Bonkers about Beetles by Owen Davey and Nina Simone from the book Nina, written by Traci N. Todd and illustrated by Christian Robinson. You can also look at them for inspiration about construction and ideas about communicating information through images and text. Look at the size, shape, and structure of the books. Explore the text and image relationships. And my favorite, look at ALL of the illustration styles. Children’s books are an excellent and accessible way to view art.
They’re also a great way to explore composition and personal style if you’re interested in drawing, painting, or illustration. Think of each book as a body of work from one artist. Break down what design principles they used to make each image. Has the illustrator done a series of books? Pick up a few. How does their style carry from one book to the other, and how does it differ?
I treat myself to at least one new children’s book each time I visit the local shop. Sometimes I keep them, and other times I give them away.
A few in my collection are:
- Child of Glass by Beatrice Alemagna: Some of the pages in the book are transparent, and I enjoy seeing how the images change through layering and turning pages.
- Animals and City by Ingela P Arrhenius are both “BIG” books. They have few to no works, and the illustrations are lovely.
- Wrinkles By JR: This book shows how our faces tell stories and build empathy as you learn more about each person. It’s also a great look into the work of the artist JR.
I can’t forget to add the ones I”ve worked on with my brother to the list.
If you, too, share a love for browsing the shelves of children’s books, you can also donate some of your great discoveries.
- Donate books to local libraries
- Fill any tiny FREE libraries with books
- Donate to a school