THE RISE OF THE PICTURE BOOKS

From the very early years, pupils are exposed to picture books, books in which illustrations are essential complements to the text in telling the story. In these books, the visual and the verbal work together; both illustrations and words are used to tell the story. Picture books present the reader with a succession of images, some in the presence of written text, some alone, which taken together provide an aesthetic experience which is more than the sum of the parts.

Some experts in children's literature distinguish between a picture book and a picture storybook. The former may be an alphabet book or a counting book which merely synchronizes words and pictures without developing a story line. The latter uses words and illustrations to develop a story with setting, plot, theme, and characters. Although an awareness of this distinction may be important in using these respective books in teaching reading, the terms picture books and picture storybooks are typically used interchangeably.

As the name suggests, illustration is essential in picture books. Illustrations keep the story moving, excite children's imaginations, and enhance the text. In some picture books, the pictures themselves carry the entire meaning. In wordless books, for example, illustrations are used without text to fully develop the characters and actions. Even when words are used in picture books, illustrations are essential to telling the story. The style of art found in picture books represents a range of art forms from simple line drawings to intricate illustrations, from actual photographs to metaphorical artistic representations, from watercolors to woodcuts. These books stimulate the senses as they stimulate the imagination and the language of children.

Children's book illustration came of age during the 19th century. Illustrators gained increasing status as printing techniques improved and colour illustrations were more common. Publishers enticed well-known artists, such as George Cruikshank who illustrated Grimm's Fairy Tales in 1823, to produce work for children's books. The art­work by the immortal Victorian-age illustrators in Great Britain, such as Randolph Caldecott, rival the fine work being done today, in spite of comparatively primitive colour printing methods. So influential were these artists that the major awards for children's book illustration today bear their names: The Caldecott Medal in the United States and The Kate Greenaway Medal in Britain.

The domain of children's books was firmly established by the dawning of the 20th century. The century began with groundbreaking events, such as the birth of the modern picture storybook. Before Beatrix Potter wrote and illustrated her enduring story The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902), illustrations in books for children, beautiful as they were, were primarily decorations. Potter matched coloured illustration with text, page for page, thus using the pictures to share in the storytelling process. Therefore, Beatrix Potter is the mother of the modern picture storybook and Peter Rabbit is the first born.

Another first occurring early in the 20th century was the publishing of Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 1900. Modern fantasy really had been the domain of the Europeans, especially the British. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was the first classic modern fantasy written by an American.

Many other enduring classics emerged in the first part of the century, such as J. M. Barrie's magical Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, which was adapted in 1906 into storybook form from its original form as a play. Also in 1908, the granddaddy of animal fantasies appeared. Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows became the standard for all subsequent animal fantasy stories. Another trend-setting fantasy, A. A. Milne's gentle story of Winnie the Pooh, was published in 1926.

While illustrators like Arthur Rackham (Mother Goose 1913) were at work in Britain, America produced its counterpart to Beatrix Potter – Wanda Gag. Her Millions of Cats (1928) is credited as the first American picture storybook. Its descriptive pictures and rhythmic text have remained unforgettable.

Along with the many noteworthy books, many popular but lesser quality books appeared during the first half of the 20th century. The books published by the Stratemeyer Syndicate created a publishing phenomenon that has extended into current times. Beginning in the late 19th century, Edward Stratemeyer saw the potential profit in publishing a quickly produced fiction series for young readers. Certainly series books had been published and done well before Stratemeyer, but he created a machine that pumped out thousands of titles over the years. He published his series books under various pseudonyms, which many children still believe belong to real authors.

In the latter half of the 20th century, a revolution in the world of children's books occurred. The 1950s were a stable time for children's publishing. Some enduring modern classics were born during this decade, such as American E. B. White's Charlotte's Web (1952) and Britisher C. S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (1950). In 1956 the major international award for children's writing, the Hans Christian Andersen Prize, was established by the International Board on Books for Young People.

The financial boom of the 1960s, which included large government grants to school libraries, helped make children's publishing big business. More books began to be published and sold, which is reflected by the rapid increase in the number of books chosen each year by the American Library Association as Notables.