Picture books and literacy

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Childhood Education
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Using Picture Books to Support Young Children's
Literacy
Janis Strasser & Holly Seplocha
To cite this article: Janis Strasser & Holly Seplocha (2007) Using Picture Books to Support Young
Children's Literacy, Childhood Education, 83:4, 219-224, DOI: 10.1080/00094056.2007.10522916
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2. Janis Strasser and
Holly Seplocha
Janis Strasser is Associate
Professor of Early Childhood
Education and ~ o l l y
Seplocha
is Associate Professor of Early
Childhood Education, William
Paterson University, Wayne, New
Jersey.
Five-year-oldLevi is listeningtohis teacher read Why Epossumondus
To support Y0-g
children’s Literacy
Has No Hair on H
i
s Tail (Salley,2004). This richly woven and engagingtale
includes several unfamiliar words, like “lollygagging,” “skedaddle,” and
“persimmon.” It also containsphrases that Levi has never heard before,
including ”my sweet little pattootie” and ”nosirree.” Becausethe art and
text sobeautifully express the joy of eating a persimmon, Levi asks ques-
tions about the fruit once the teacher has finished the story. The next day,
the teacher brings severalpersimmonsto class. As the children examine
them, cut them, and taste them, they recall the events in the story, sing
the song that is part of the story, and remember such rich descriptive
terms as “powder-puff tails.” Later, in the art area, Levi draws a sketch
of a persimmon and tries to write the word, coming up with ”PRSMN.”
The children ask to sing the song about persimmons for the next several
days. Theteacher suggeststhat they change the words to createtheir own
version. Shewrites their version on largechart paper. In the library area,
two weeks after the initial whole-group story reading, three children are
making the ”RRRRRR“ sound of Papapossum’sstomach as they point to
the text in thebook that matchesthe sound. Twoof them decideto go into
the art area and make puppets to act out the story. As the teacher watches
them glue wiggly eyes and a tail made out of yarn ontoa largeoval shape
they have cut out from cardboard,sheasks, “Whatdo you think are some
good things about not having hair on your tail?”
This example shows the multiple ways in which a picture book can
support literacyin the classroom. Literacyskills canbe embedded when
using an engaging children’s picture book, as in the example above, in-
stead of focusing on skills in isolation (as in ”letter of the week” types
of activities).
How Do Picture Books Support Literacy?
The benefits of storybook reading are well documented (Aram & Biron,
2004; Neuman, 1999; Neuman, Copple, & Bredekamp, 2000; Strickland &
Morrow, 1989). As preschoolers, children shouldbe activeparticipants in
Literacy skills can
be embedded when
using an engaging
children’s picture
book instead of
focusing on skills
in isolation.
S U M M E R ~ W ~
+ 219

3. picture book reading-chiming in on the refrain of
predictable books, dramatizingstories they love, and
reciting the text of books “sofamiliar that they have
been committed to memory” (Jalongo,2004, p. 91).
A joint position paper issued by the National As-
sociationfortheEducationof YoungChildren and the
International ReadingAssociation (citedin Neuman,
Copple, & Bredekamp, 2000) states, ”Thesingle most
important activity for building . . .understandings
and skills essential for reading success appears to
be reading aloud to children” (p. 8). Neuman (1999)
explains how storybook reading helps children gain
general knowledge, practice cognitive thinking, and
learn about the rhythms and conventions of written
language.
Vygotskiantheory supportsthenotionthat through
interaction with text (written by other authors or
themselves), “children transfer the understandings
and skills they have gleaned from dialogues with
others to their own literacy-relateddiscourse. ..they
converse not just with themselves but also with the
textnarrative” (Berk&Winsler, 1995,p. 115).Creating
opportunities foryoung childrentoexploreliterature,
individually and in smallgroups, helps thisdiscourse
toflourish.Throughsuchactivitiesaslookingthrough
new books, rereading (or ”pretend reading”) stories
that the teacher has read, imagining new endings
for popular stories, or creating artistic renderings of
favoritestories,young children can interact with text
in meaningful ways. In considering extension activi-
ties for literature, teachers should consider whether
the activity grows naturally out of the literature,
encourages students to thoughtfully reexamine the
book, and/or demonstratessomething the reader has
gained from the book (Routman, 1991, p. 87).
Definition of a Picture Book
A picture book is different from a children’s book
that contains illustrations. In a picture book, both
the picture and text are equally important. There
exists “a balance between the pictures and text . . .
neither of them is completely effective without the
other” (Norton, 1999, p. 214). They contain at least
three elements: what is told with words, what is told
through the pictures, and what is conveyed from
the combination of the two (Jalongo,2004). A fourth
element is the child’s personal association with the
book. Anyonewho has read a good picture book has
experienced the unique magicandbeauty of this rela-
tionship. Thestory line isbrief (about200words)and
straightforward, with a limited number of concepts;
the text is written in a direct, simple style; illustra-
tions complementthe text; and the book is usually 32
pages long (Jalongo,2004). Classicpicture books that
fit these criteria include Keats’ The Snowy Day (1962),
Numeroff‘s I f You Give a Mouse a Cookie (1985), and
Ringgold’s Tar Beach (1996). They are more than ”cute
little books” or useful teaching tools, however; they
”alsoexistasanartformthat transcendsthefunctions
of informing, entertaining and providing emotional
release” (Jalongo,2004, p. 13). They can be fiction or
nonfiction and the illustrations can be photographs
as well as drawings, paintings, or collage.
Language Learning With Picture Books
Picture books not only expose young children to
words and pictures, they also provide the following
experiencesthat supportthedispositions andfeelings
in learning how to read (Jalongo,2004):
HoldingAttention: with powerful, vivid illustrations
0 Accommodating Difference: within the develop-
mental differences of individual children
0 Giving Pleasure: within an intellectually stimulat-
ing context
0 Challenging the Brain: as the brain seeks patterns
out of the complexityof stimulation from text and
illustrations at the same time
0 Provoking Conversation: hearing stories increases
children’s vocabulary
0 Connecting Experiences: from home and family to
stories
Oral language is a key area of literacy development
in early childhood. The components of language
skillsinclude: Communication,FormsandFunctions,
Purposeful Verbal Interactions, and Play With Lan-
guage (Isenberg & Jalongo, 2001). In one classroom
of 3-year-olds, the teacher has read Vera B. Williams’
”More More More“ Said the Baby (1997)to individual
children and small groups many times, at their re-
quest, over a two-week period. Shehas documented
the ways in which the children have practiced the
four components of language skills as they connect
with elements of the picture book (about the ways
that three families show their love for the children
in their family):
0 Communication: The children pretend to be mom-
mies, grandmothers, and uncles putting their
babies to bed, singing to them and kissing them
goodnight.
0 Forms and Functions: Some children scold the
“babies” when they don’t go right to sleep, others
sing in a gentle voice, and some pretend to laugh
as they tickle the “babies.”
0 Purposeful Verbal Interaction: In their play, the
children problem solve how to undress the “baby”
and put her in the cradle quietly, as she has fallen
asleep while the “grandma” sang to her. Twoother
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4. Picture books should be a part of every day in the early
childhood years. Reading to children and engaging them
in activities that encourage the use of expressive lan-
guage, phonological awareness, and high-level thinking is
critical for the development of the skills and dispositions
that are necessary for reading and writing.
childrenfigureout what materialsto use to make a
blanket when they can’t find the blanket that used
to be in the dramatic play area.
0 Play With Language: The childrenmake up funny
names forthebabies(withreferencein their play to
oneof thebabiesin thebook whowas called “Little
Bird). They call the babies “LittleQuacky Duck”
and “Puppy Po0 Poo.”
In another classroom, the teacher supported one
child’slanguageandcognitivedevelopmentafterread-
ingEhlert’sEating theAlphabet (1993).Shewatchedthe
child begin to create “vegetables”by cutting orange,
brown, andgreenpiecesof foamandgluingthemonto
her paper. The child then said to the teacher, ”When
you do this, you have to use your imagination.” The
teacher responded, “That‘s very true when creating
art. I like how you used the word ’imagination.’”
The child then went over and brought back Sendak‘s
Wherethe Wild Things Are (1998)and said, “Thisis an
imaginationbook, becauseyou canseeinthepictures
that his room changes. It’s pretend.” The child was
clearly responding to the illustrations and text of the
two books, and synthesizing the information in her
conversation. The classroom environment had sup-
ported this learning through its accessible art area,
rich selection of books, flexibility allowing children
to bring books into the art area, and the scaffolding
conversationbetween the child and the adult.
Rich Vocabulary
A preschool teacher is reading Giraffes Can’t Dance
(Andreae, 1999)to her class of 4-year-olds. The lav-
ish, colorful illustrationshelp to illuminate the rich
text describing animals dancing in a contest. Verbs
like ”prance” and “sway“ and phrases like ”buckled
at the knees” and ”swishinground are new for the
children. Rhyme and alliterationappearthroughout
the book; for example:
The warthogs started waltzing
and the rhinos rock‘n’rolled.
The lions danced a tango
That was elegant and bold.
Whenthe childrenaskabout thewaltzand tango, the
teacherdownloadsthese twotypes of musicfromthe
computer for the children to listen to during center
time. She puts the book into the music center so
that the children can look at the illustrations of the
warthogs, rhinos, and lions dancing as they listen
to different types of music. She stays in the music
center for a while so that she can explain which type
of music is played for each type of dance. Her ques-
tions invite the childrento compare and contrast the
two different styles. They don’t have to ask about
“buckledattheknees.” Theillustrationclearlyshows
what this means.
The fact that reading to young children supports
languagedevelopment is clearly evidenced in the lit-
erature (Aram & Biron, 2004; Bus, van IJzendoorn,&
Pelligrini, 1995;Hargrave & Senechal, 2000; Koralek,
2003; Schickedanz, 1999). When the story reading in-
cludesexplanationsof particularwords,dialogueabout
new vocabulary,high-levelquestions,andotheractive
participation by children, that language development
is further enhanced (Hargrave& Senechal,2000).
AlthoughsuchwordlesspicturebooksasGoodDog,
Carl (Day,1989)donot fitthetraditionaldefinitionof a
picturebook, they are a wonderfulway to encourage
childrentouseexpressivelanguage,astheyusevisual
literacy and knowledge of story sequence to become
the author of the story (Owocki,2001). Teachers can
audiotapechildren’svoicesasthey “read thestoryto
their friends and keep the tape in the listening area
with the book.
SIJMMER~W~
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5. Phonological and Phonemic Awareness
Phonological awareness is ”the ability to hear,
identify and manipulate the sounds of spoken lan-
guage (hearing and repeating sounds, separating
and blending sounds, identifying similar sounds
in different words, hearing parts of syllables in
words)” (Seplocha & Jablon, 2004, p. 2). It includes
”thewhole spectrum[,] from primitive awareness of
speech soundsand rhythms to rhyme awareness and
sound similarities and, at the highest level, aware-
ness of syllables or phonemes” (Neuman, Copple,
& Bredekamp, 2000, p. 124).
Aschildrenlistentosongs,nursery rhymes,poems,
and books with repetitive words and phrases, they
begin to play with language. For example, when
chantingalliterativephrases, suchas, “Splash,splosh,
splash, splosh, splash, splosh to describe the river
and ”Squelch, squerch, squelch, squerch, squelch,
squerch todescribethe “thick,oozym u d inRosen’s
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt (1997), children revel in
the sounds and begin to want to create their own
descriptive, playful phrases. Teachers can begin by
reading the book, inviting children to join in the re-
petitive parts with their voiceswhile slapping their
knees tothe rhythm, and helping them to createtheir
own versions of the story (hunting other animals in
other environments). A perfect companion to this
book is Axtell’s We’re Going on a Lion Hunt (1999).
This version, situated in the jungle, also contains
lots of alliteration and rhythm as the suspense
builds to a crescendo. Using both books, followed
by a compare and contrast discussion, encourages
higher order thinking and promotes ample use of
rich descriptive language, as well as analysis and
attention to phonological awareness.
Children learn to pay attention to the sounds in
spoken language through rhymes, chants, nonsense
words, and poetry. Many picture books, such as the
Dr.Seussbooks,containpredictablerhymes,rhythms,
alliteration, and a great deal of word play that invite
children to completelines, make up nonsense words,
and engage in other types of phonological-based ac-
tivities, when these types of activities are promoted
by the teacher.
Phonemes are the building blocks of words. They
are “perceivable, manipulable units of sound; they
can be combined and contrasted with one another in
ways that matter to language users, that is, in ways
that make possible the production and perception of
words” (McGee& Richgels, 2004, p. 20). The ability
to hear phonemes (i.e., words that begin or end with
the same sounds) is called phonemic awareness. It
is more finite, more related to specific letters and
sounds, and usually develops laterthan phonological
awareness. It is a critical skill for reading and writ-
ing. It usually doesnot developspontaneously,but is
supported asteachers plan activitiesand interactions
that draw attention to the phonemes in spoken words
(Neuman, Copple, & Bredekamp, 2000).
As mentioned above, phonological and phonemic
awareness can be supported when teachers choose
books to read aloud that focus on sounds. Many
picture books are based on songs that children love
to sing. Among them are Miss Polly Has a Dolly (Ed-
wards, 2003),The ltsy Bitsy Spider (Trapani, 1997),and
Miss Mary Mack (Hoberman, 1998). Readinghinging
thesebooks, and makingup new words tothefamiliar
tunes, promote the development of phonologicaland
phonemic awareness.
In a mixed-age class (3-to 5-year-olds), 3-year-old
Jacob runs over to his teacher, bringing a piece of
paper that is colored with red marks and taped to two
Popsiclesticks. He says, “Look,I made a stop sign for
our bus.” His older friend Deshawn says, “No. You
have to put Son the sign and someother letters if you
want it to be a real stop sign.” Deshawn shows him
where and how to add the letters SDP. The teacher
had read Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus (Willems,
2003) several days earlier, and some of the children
were making “things that go” in various areas of the
classroom.Themaincharacterof thestory,thepigeon,
is just like a 3-year-old: impulsive, easily frustrated,
and seeing the world only from his own perspective.
The children, like the pigeon, wish they could really
drive. So, they make a three-dimensional bus from
a dishwasher crate that the teacher placed in the art
area(aftermovingaroundsomefurniture),anairplane
from some chairs in the dramatic play area, and a
train in the block area. The teacher had suggested
that 5-year-olds Rebecca and Devone write instruc-
tions for how to drive their train. They are writing
on large chart paper taped to the wall in the block
area. They are figuring out how to write “Don’t Go
Too Fast.” Devone says, “Don’t starts like Devone,
with D.” They make some other marks on the pa-
per, followed by FS and an exclamation mark. Their
teacher had pointed out the many exclamationmarks
contained in the book. She draws their attention to
the page on which the pigeon describes the sound of
thebus as “Vroom-vroom,vroomy-vroom!,” and sug-
gests they try to figure out how to write some noises
that their train makes. Five-year-old Aisha decides
to write ”CHKUCHKU CHU! CHU! ” on a separate
piece of paper. The exclamation mark was used in
this picture as well as on the large chart made by the
children. Thisexampleshowshoweasilythechildren
transfer the phonemic and phonological awareness
skills linked to prior knowledge, engaging picture
books, and play.
Teachers can support language development and
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EDUCATION

6. cognitivethinking through suchactivitiesas reading
multipleversionsof thesamefolktale(e.g.,atraditional
version of "The Three Little Pigs," Lowell's The Three
Little Javelinas (1992), and Scieszka's The True Story
of the Three Little Pigs! (1989))and asking children to
compareandcontrasttheversions. Creatingnewend-
ings to favorite storiesand/or planning open-ended
art projects that synthesizeknowledge (e.g., a mural
depictingmetamorphosis,asexplainedinEricCarle's
TheVeryHungry Caterpillar(1981),helpschildrenlearn
to synthesize information. Assembling diverse col-
lectionsof subjectsof interest from particular books,
such as Bread, Bread, Bread (1993) or Hats, Hats, Hats
(1993),bothbyAnnMorris,andchartingwhicharethe
favorites,help children learn to evaluate and discuss
others' opinions.
Print-RichEnvironments
Research has shown that when additional literacy
props and tools are added to various centers in
preschool classrooms, children's conversations and
understanding of written language are enhanced
(Neuman & Roskos, 1991; Schickedanz, 1999). Lit-
eracy props include the types of things that would
naturally occur in each of the centers, such as recipe
cards, coupons, cookbooks,pencils, and notepads in
thekitchenarea. Usingpicturebookstosupportthese
literacy tools makes play scenarios even richer. For
example, one teacher read The Little Red Hen Makes a
Pizza (Sturges, 2002). The book contains funny and
interesting ingredients from the hen's kitchen, such
as pickled eggplant,anchovies, and blue cheese. The
teachersawhoweagerthechildrenweretomaketheir
own shopping lists, copying words from the labels
of the variety of strange and interesting items that
the teacher brought into the kitchen area (marinated
artichokes,hearts of palm,Kalamataolives, etc.). The
childrenand teacher ultimately made real individual
pizzas, choosingtheir own toppings.
In orderforchildrentoextend the experiencesthey
readaboutinbooks,theymusthavemanyotherliteracy
tools to do so. Art areas with open-endedmaterials
from which children can choose, writing/drawing
toolsandotherimplements,avarietyof typesof paper,
paint, three-dimensionalmaterials,and longperiods
of time to workon independentor collaborativeproj-
ects are important. For example, one kindergarten
teacher always finds severalof her children engaged
in book-making activities after she reads high-qual-
ity picture books. After reading The Napping House
(Wood, 1994)' some of the children made felt figures
of the charactersin the book in order to reenact the
story with their flannel board. Additionally, the
children made their own version of the book, called
"The Kindergarten Napping House," in which each
child contributedapagewithvarioustexts, according
to their writing abilities and interests.
Picturebooksfocusedonwriting,suchasClick,Clack,
Moo: Cows That Type (Cronin, 2
0
0
0
)
,offer a perfect
vehiclethrough whichteacherscanintroducewriting
for a purpose. Justas the cowstype their complaints
to the farmer, children can voice their opinions in
print on issues related to classroom problems or
concerns.
Exploring picture books and creating lists of the
types of literacy tools (or making prop boxes) that
would support the content of specific books is a
valuable exercise. Additionally, thinking about
which books should be included in each of the early
childhoodinterestareas (changedregularly,toallow
for changes in children's interests, themes, etc.) is
important.
Teachersalsoshouldconsidertheneedsandinterests
of specificchildrenwhen consideringwhichbooks to
read to individuals. One teacher noted that Quincy
was having difficulty creating rhymes. So, she read
Trapani's (1998) TheZtsy Bitsy Spider to him. Then,us-
ing a flannel board, Quincy acted out the song with
a flannel spider and other props. The next day, the
teacher extended this activity even further. She put
otherfeltanimalsnexttotheflannelboard andinvited
Quincy and Fatima to change the animals and make
up a new song. Together,the two childrengiggled as
they sang, "The itsy bitsy kitty went up the water spout.
Down came the water and cried the kitty out. Out came
the sun and the kitty cried away and the itsy bitsy spider
went out the day-de-day."
Conclusions
The text and illustrations of high-quality picture
books weave rich storiesthat can excite and surprise
children,make them laugh, make them wonder, and
make them think. Turningeach page bringsanother
elementto the magic. Whether the pictures are pho-
tographs, black-and-white line drawings, unusual
designs, paintings, woodcuts, or collage, the visual
artformexcitesthe youngaudience. Whetherthetext
is factual, fictional, historical, readily identifiable to
the listener, or something from another culture, the
stories fill young children with a multitude of ideas,
words, and questions.
Using the wealth of classic and new picture books
available,adultscan support literacy in waysthat are
engagingto children. Picturebooks shouldbe a part
of every day in the early childhood years. Reading
to children and engaging them in activities that en-
couragethe use of expressivelanguage,phonological
awareness, and high-level thinking is criticalfor the
development of the skills and dispositionsthat are
necessary for reading and writing.
S U M M E R ~ O O ~
+ 223

7. Inthepicturebook Book! (George,2001),apreschool
child opens a present and falls in love with his new
picture book. He typifies the relationship young
childrencan have with books when he says:
I’ll take you on a wagon ride to my secret place,
Where both of us can hide.
After that, we’ll find an empty lap before I take
my nap.
We’ll read you warm and snug, Book!
I’ll give you a hug, Book!
Open wide.
Look inside.
Book!
Thank you to Darcee Chaplick, Christina Komsa, Lisa Mufson,
JoeMurray, and Sage Seaton for sharing their experiences with
children.
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