“You’re too old to read books from this section.”
“These are for little kids!”
“You should be choosing longer books by now.”
“Haven’t you outgrown those?”
Whether or not you’ve heard these statements from well-meaning adults (or rule-following kids), you probably already know the books they’re referring to: picture books, graphic novels, comics, and other highly-illustrated books. Maybe you’ve even been tempted to say something like this yourself in an effort to steer kids away from a book that seems too simple or easy for them.
I empathize! As a children’s book editor, I know firsthand that illustrated stories are just as carefully crafted and impactful as their more text-heavy counterparts. However, as a parent, I’ve still had to make a concerted effort to support my daughter’s reading choices (See: rereading Garfield collections for the hundredth time.) and to resist forcing her to read books she’s not interested in (Even if her friends are reading them. Even if I know those books are amazing. Even if I edited them!). I try to remember that having the freedom to read what she wants is one of the reasons she lists reading and writing as two of her favorite things (though let’s be real: cats and video games are always first on the list).
So it was unusual when my daughter recently went from bringing home multiple books every week from her school library to bringing home zero. When I asked her why she hadn’t checked anything out, she told me that kids in her grade weren’t supposed to be checking out picture books or graphic novels anymore. Since she couldn’t check out the books she was truly interested in, she didn’t check out anything. While the intention may have been to encourage reading more complex or challenging books, the result, at least for my daughter, was reading less.
My daughter isn’t the only kid who would rather not read at all than to be told what she can and can’t read for pleasure: a recent Scholastic report reveals that while 70% of kids ages 6-8 say reading books for fun is something they love or like a lot, this number drops to 61% by ages 9-11 and 46% by ages 12-17. While there are many factors influencing this decline (increasing distractions, lack of school library funding, increasing book bans, and more), it certainly doesn’t help to disparage kids’ reading choices. By doing so, we risk teaching them that reading always has to be challenging and serious, rather than fun or entertaining.
Beyond fostering a love of reading, illustrated books have proven educational benefits. Multiple studies show that reading graphic novels and comics increases reading comprehension and introduces readers to more advanced vocabulary. Picture books allow readers to experience a wide range of art styles and mediums without ever stepping foot in a museum. Nonfiction picture books, comics, and graphic novels can provide fantastic introductions to complex topics and people. And even the simplest-seeming of books can prompt rich conversations, as Mac Barnett (the new National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, whose platform celebrates picture books!) and Jon Klassen’s discussion of Goodnight Moon showcases.
If we want kids to become lifelong readers, let’s stop pushing them away from formats they love and start celebrating all of their reading choices.
Your Editor Friend,
Julie
P.S. Writers: illustrated books are also excellent examples of craft! Check out my four-part series about writing lessons from picture books: