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SeaStar
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| Posted: June 21 2010 at 6:20am | IP Logged
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Remember that slump of awful picture books back in the 70's? Then a new Golden Age seemed to come in the 80's and 90's.
Looking at the the selections of new picture books on the shelf at the library, I have to wonder if the good times are over. I am seeing a trend here of the library spending new book funds on very educational books...
things like "Mr. Lee's Bakery" (detailing a day in a baker's life) or series like:
"I'm a Kangaroo" (all about a day in a kangaroo's life).
These books have glossy pictures and are good for educational needs, but they don't really capture our imagination. Also I am seeing a lot of "concept books"- books that we read that don't really have a story at all.
We recently read one called something like "On the Way" about a little girl taking a walk. Bleah  . The text was a bunch of disjointed words, things like: "A puddle reflects" and "you breathe all that you are"
Is anyone else experiencing this "trend"?
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: June 21 2010 at 7:10am | IP Logged
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Melinda,
You are braver than I am. I've had such awful experiences with our big, new, beautiful library and its children's book section, that I RARELY take my kids to the library and let them choose. I almost always look at the recs here and on other lists and request books to be picked up.
So, all that to say, there is a lot of tripe one has to sort through to get to anything good, anyway, and I just gave up a long time ago. I find a lot of the newer books are like you describe, or if they have a plot, it involves a bratty child as the hero or other crudeness. Blech.
However, the 70s weren't a complete wash. Parents Magazine Press published a number of books that I grew up reading. It used to work like a bookclub, and apparently my grandfather had picked a bunch up at a yardsale for me. Anyway, Cranberry Thanksgiving was one of the books as well as Miss Suzy, and while they are no Robert McCloskey (because, really, IS there another Robert McCloskey???), they are fine books.
So, its possible there will still be the occasional gem. The challenge now is that SO MANY books are being published, you have to weed through A LOT to get to the gems. I don't even trust the library to know what the gems are to order them. Sometimes, good books are published independently and libraries are limited by their suppliers and can't buy them. Isn't that NUTS??? But, I have recommended several good books to the library, and they likely would have purchased them on the recommendation, except that they COULDN'T. Things like the Ralph Moody series or Abadaba Alphabet. CRAZINESS, imo.
I would watch for familiar names that are still working, like Patricia Maclachlan. In looking on Amazon, it looks like she has a new book due out next year, and we just enjoyed her book Painting the Wind, which was published in 2003. So, all is not lost. I wonder if it is not that the volume of garbage being published has increased and not so much that the volume of good books has decreased. This seems to be the trend through the publishing industry, not just picture books.
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
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dakotamidnight
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| Posted: June 21 2010 at 9:09am | IP Logged
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I agree - so many of the new picture books are not quality literature. I now carry a list of author's and titles that I've screened as okay so that I can check if in doubt.
I find even if the subject matter is acceptable, the writing is of a lower level than those printed 20+ years ago. I tend to buy those from the 50's and earlier, because the books are written in complete sentences with correct grammar, which makes them MUCH easier to read aloud and exposes DD to correct English. You even have to watch reprints sometimes as they lower the reading level by changing the words under the guise of "updating".
We don't use the library either, I buy everything at thrift shops and library used book sales. Or get them from Bookmooch.
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Lori
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| Posted: June 21 2010 at 10:50am | IP Logged
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We go to the library to let the kids use their computers for some games, and to pick up a specific couple of books. I might browse in the kids' section, but I, too, am astonished at what gets published these days.
However, I am amazed at how many treasures I find at Goodwill and other resale kids' shops! As I place these goodies in my basket, I think: "What were you thinking, people, to let these gems get away from you?!" This weekend's special find...A Child's Garden of Verses illustrated by Tasha Tudor...for $1!!! 
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Karen T
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| Posted: June 21 2010 at 1:03pm | IP Logged
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And I am always amazed at the finds other people get at Goodwill. I have *never* found a decent book at goodwill, either here where I live now or in my previous town. The kids' books are mostly Barney or Barbie and the adult books are either bodice-ripper romance novels or James Patterson/John Grisham type mysteries.
The library's used book sale once a year is not much better for the kids' books, although that may be b/c I'm not there right at opening time. I have gotten many gems for myself or older readers there (sets of Shakespeare, the Horatio Hornblower novels, etc).
I envy you your Goodwill!
karen
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JennGM
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| Posted: June 21 2010 at 1:06pm | IP Logged
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I think it's the area, Karen, because I have the same experience locally, both Goodwill and Salvation Army. But when travelling away from the DC area, I strike gold.
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to  & ds1  '03 & ds2  '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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4Real Forums : Picture Book Discoveries
Topic: Is the Golden Age of Picture books over?
