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Serving the City of Redlands, California since 1894

DID YOU KNOW? Carla Hayden is our current and 14th Librarian of Congress, becoming the first woman and the first African American to lead our national library.

"We are not makers of history; we are made by history." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

“…in the segregated South, with so many doors closed without explanation to me, libraries and books said, ‘Here I am -- read me.’” – Maya Angelou

New Picture Books Develop the Imagination — With Words and Without!

January 31, 2021 By Pamela Martinez

Some picture books are not just pictures, oh, no. Picture books can be full of beautiful, wonderful words, sprinkled together in an art form. Please check out these new picture books (with and without words) through our Books-to-Go program!

I remember as a child reading picture books that had no words… I became the storyteller. My words filled the pages with language and sentences that I deemed fit to tell the story to go along with the pictures!

My imagination was being developed through my eyes as they searched the illustrations, taking a thorough glance at each tiny line in the drawing. Let your child have the opportunity to develop their imagination with this next book suggestion.

The first choice this month is “Field Trip to the Ocean Deep” by John Hare. A wordless picture book that brings imagination to life! Let your children embrace their imaginations through storytelling. Let the pictures guide them through the pages of this underwater adventure! There are details that need to be seen and told. I can just about picture their little faces as they turn the page to continue the story, in their own words!

My next recommendation is written by Michael Karg and illustrated by Sophie Diao, entitled “I Am The Wind.” The story is written as a poem; the illustrations add that little bit extra to engage the reader into the book. Wind blows through every country in the world; the wild animals that are included on each page enhance the words to the next level. Well written and illustrated greatly, this book is a must read!

Bringing more nature to our recommendation of new books, the next must-read title is “I Talk Like a River,” written by Jordan Scott and illustrated by Sydney Smith. This is a personal account from the author of his experience as a little boy who had trouble saying words. This story will bring a bit of understanding to children about bullying as well. The illustrations are well done and the story, well, the story is truly amazing. Kudos to the author for sharing his childhood experience with us, to help us understand the difficulty some kids face.  Check out this story today and share it with someone you care about.

“Mr. Brown’s Bad Day,” written by Lou Peacock and illustrated by Alison Friend, is a sweet story about Mr. Brown. He is ‘a very important businessman’ traveling through the pages as he shares his day with the reader. Mr. Brown never leaves his very important briefcase behind; it goes everywhere Mr. Brown goes. What do you suppose Mr. Brown keeps in his very important briefcase, hmmm? Well, check out this book and you will find out what a very important man, er, tiger, keeps in his very important briefcase, at the end of the story!

“I Am One, A Book of Action,” written by Susan Verde and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds, is a lovely book for children to get up and get going to do something meaningful. Being kind, thoughtful and productive can lead to amazing results. This story is inspirational, a winner indeed!

Pamela Martinez is A.K. Smiley Public Library’s Youth Services Librarian.

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