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SuzanneG
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NY Times Article from yesterday:
Picture Books No Longer a Staple For Children
  
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Suzanne in ID
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Grace&Chaos
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My husband teases me about opening a children's picture book store because we own so many, but I honestly think that someday our great collection will be a gem for our grandchildren.
In our efforts to include lots of living books into our studies there have been some really good pictures books that I've included for my dd 7 and dd 10 like The Hatmaker's Sign and Dangerous Crossing. They have really enjoyed them and I agree with the article there is more vocabulary and sophisticated concepts in certain picture books. This is a great thing!!
Thanks for sharing the article.
What a shame (sigh) .
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Jenny
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SeaStar
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Good grief! This is one of the saddest things I've read lately. It goes hand in hand with the "modern" mindset so prevalent these days.... three year olds on soccer teams, an enrichment activity every day of the week, etc 
Kids can't even be kids anymore.
I would buy many more picture books new if the cost weren't so high. I know it costs a lot to publish a book, but I can't pay $18 for every book I want to buy for my children. So, I'm not helping the industry.
OTOH, the used book sellers must love me  .
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organiclilac
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Noooooooooooooooooo!!!
I have noticed the shrinking picture book section in our local Borders, and an increased amount of toys, as well as toys packaged with books. And, don't get me wrong, I love a stuffed Peter Rabbit, too, but the idea that you can't enjoy the book without it is sad!
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Tracy, wife to Shawn, mama to Samuel (4/01) and Joseph (11/11), and Thomas (2/15)
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guitarnan
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Oh, this is just ridiculous. The Phantom Tollbooth for a five-year-old??? He wouldn't even like it - all the puns won't make any sense!!!
And then, we'd just have one more reluctant reader.
That does it. Every young child in my extended family gets books for Christmas. No matter what.
Side note: The Pasadena, Calif. bookstore mentioned in the article is "my" bookstore from childhood. My mom's book club uses it, too. They've hung on for decades...now I am worried about their survival.
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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Grace&Chaos
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guitarnan wrote:
| That does it. Every young child in my extended family gets books for Christmas. No matter what. |
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Nancy, it's been my practice to give a picture book to our closest young friends for their birthday or christmas  . I think our circle of friends and family know how important books are too us. We hope to spread the love  .
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Jenny
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Grace in Loving Chaos
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Erin
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How sad
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Erin
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MaryM
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is right.
Quote:
...expanding their booming young-adult sections, full of dystopic fiction, graphic novels and “Twilight”-inspired paranormal romances.
"Young adult fiction has been universally the growing genre,” said Ms. Lotz of Candlewick. |
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Mary M. in Denver
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KC in TX
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I just spent a couple of hours in my local Barnes and Nobles. I came away appalled at the way the children's section was set up. The main part where they used to highlight good picture books had all the silly books from the newest movies. It's awful.
I'm so sad.
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guitarnan
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Jenny, my standard baby shower gift is The Read-Aloud Handbook plus a board book or two or three. No one else ever, ever gives books. My nieces have been bombarded with picture books from birth. Apparently my shopping habits aren't the rising tide that lifts all boats...but maybe all of us homeschoolers could be that tide?
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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stefoodie
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oh, ha. i posted this link on FB today too. i should have known there's talk here too...
so so sad. a childhood without an abundance of picture books -- talk about deprived!!
what is the world coming to?
yes, nancy, i've got books upon books on my Christmas list. i hope they get read .
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stef
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MaryM
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Does this mean we are a dying breed?
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Mary M. in Denver
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Grace&Chaos
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guitarnan wrote:
| Jenny, my standard baby shower gift is The Read-Aloud Handbook plus a board book or two or three. No one else ever, ever gives books. My nieces have been bombarded with picture books from birth. Apparently my shopping habits aren't the rising tide that lifts all boats...but maybe all of us homeschoolers could be that tide? |
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I love this ... I have a couple of showers coming up.
I might just have to use your gift idea  .
I now remember getting I Love You Forever at my first baby shower (the only shower book present I ever got and thus my very first picture book as a mommy ). How could I forget (we still have it and have read to six children), shame on me .
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Jenny
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SeaStar
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MaryM wrote:
| Does this mean we are a dying breed? |
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I think homeschoolers and elementary school teachers are somewhat the last stand for picture books.
I often wonder at the volume of like new pbs I find at yard sales and thrift stores. Often the inscriptions in the books are from grandparents, and quite often it is obvious the book was never read.
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
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Mackfam
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SeaStar wrote:
| I often wonder at the volume of like new pbs I find at yard sales and thrift stores. Often the inscriptions in the books are from grandparents, and quite often it is obvious the book was never read. |
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I know!!! This makes me so sad!
MaryM wrote:
| Does this mean we are a dying breed? |
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Nope. Refuse to believe that! But just as the culture was nurtured in the monasteries for a time, we too may continue to nurture the loveliness of picture books in the little monastery of our homes, sharing them with our families, passing them down to children and grandchildren, until they are once again flourishing. The cup is HALF FULL (says the happy sanguine with the choleric resolve! )!!!!! 
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Jen Mackintosh
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DominaCaeli
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Mackfam wrote:
| But just as the culture was nurtured in the monasteries for a time, we too may continue to nurture the loveliness of picture books in the little monastery of our homes, sharing them with our families, passing them down to children and grandchildren, until they are once again flourishing. |
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Love this, Jennifer. Don't love that it needs to be done, but love that we can take part in keeping up that culture.
I agree about children's sections--lots of twaddle, consumer tie-ins, just plain bad writing being featured. Perhaps this is making people less interested in picture books, or perhaps this is because people are less interested in picture books...not sure which is causing which. I think it's promising that the "classics" continue to sell, and I hope that continues. But it's a sad situation no matter which way you look at it.
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Celeste
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Tina P.
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Mackfam wrote:
| Nope. Refuse to believe that! But just as the culture was nurtured in the monasteries for a time, we too may continue to nurture the loveliness of picture books in the little monastery of our homes, sharing them with our families, passing them down to children and grandchildren, until they are once again flourishing. The cup is HALF FULL (says the happy sanguine with the choleric resolve! )!!!!! |
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Oh Jen, you are so good! I'm a sanguine/choleric, too. But I'm more 1/2 each way. I believe, just from knowing you online, that you're more sanguine than I am.
Temperaments aside, I'd like to make a stand for keeping picture books in our children's lives as well. I give small gifts to our choir director at Christmas: one for he and his wife and one for his kids. I invariably give the kids a picture book. However, the oldest is in third grade and they dress her like she's a tween. If that's the case, then what is she reading? I'll continue to gift them with picture books. When the second one (of four) is in third grade, I may graduate to Marigold Hunt books.
The beauty in exquisite pictures, rich vocabulary, and subtle and multifaceted meanings, can never be replaced by Cam Jansen. My 14 year old still listens to favorites along with the rest of the younger set.
And I am so glad that you all are so incensed by this. There are even books that homeschool companies recommend that are beyond my kids' tender brains. I find that if I am patient with my kids and let their interests and brains develop naturally instead of trying to "force" them like nurseries forcing plants to bloom before their time, nurtures their love of reading.
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Tina, wife to one and mom to 9 + 3 in heaven
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4Real Forums : Picture Book Discoveries
Topic: Article in NY Times about Picture Books
