The Power of Picture Books

              My EDU professor recently finished a lecture on picture books.  He started his lecture by asking us to think of the picture books we read as children that were memorable.  Personally, the stories that I found the most memorable were the ones that contained illustrations that captured my imagination and added a whole new dimension to the text/ plot.  The first one I can recall is Where the Wild Things Are, written and illustrated by Maurice Sendak.  I can still envision the “wild things”…their faces, their teeth, etc…which really brought Max’s visit to the island of the wild things to life.  It’s no surprise that this picture book sold over ten million copies in the United States alone.  Later, when we were reading fairy tales in the upper elementary grades, I recall reading the Paul Zelinsky retelling of Rumpelstiltskin and being awestruck by his illustrations.  His paintings, which were actually oil paints layered over watercolor underpaintings, dominated the book and inspired me to take up painting.  Picture books like these grabbed my attention, and through their strong visual component, held my attention.  These books helped to instill a love for reading in me that carried over to chapter books without illustrations in the later grades, and finally resulted in my love of reading today.