I’ve talked about children’s books here in the past, but a recent article on the Publishers Weekly blog got me thinking about them again, specifically picture books. In her blog entry, Josie Leavitt talks about the comfort and stress relief of revisiting favorite children’s books. She’s currently using them as a cure for insomnia, which strikes me a bit of genius. I don’t know about you readers, but I’ve very often stayed up waayy past my bedtime in order to finish a chapter, section or sometimes even an entire book that has me engrossed. Books, love them though we may, can be a bit insomnia-inducing. So when Leavitt mentioned that picture books, particularly those containing her favorite characters offered her a certain amount of calm that, it’s implied, helps her with her insomnia, I started thinking more about why this might be.

When I read picture books (and I do I do fairly often, if only to suggest great new ones to my littler patrons) I’ve noticed that even the new ones have several characteristics that could make them a form of comfort reading:

1) They’re short. Yes, this is an obvious one, but it does allow for a certain level of comfort. You know that you’ll reach the end of the book in one sitting, so there’s less anxiety when it comes to worrying about what will happen. You’re pretty much guaranteed not to stay up very far past your bedtime when it comes to reading a picture book that’s about 32 pages long.

2) They come to a satisfying conclusion. There’s certainly something to be said about open-ended fiction. It makes you think, opening up your neural passageways into speculations and ponderings. This is fantastic when it comes to open-mindedness, but not so great when you finish an open-ended book or story right before bed and then have to spend the subsequent hours you should be sleeping, lying awake thinking about the what ifs. There is no such worry with picture books. They end neatly in some form of satisfying way because they’re designed to. Picture books are there to enable children to think about what they’re reading, but also to give them an inherent sense of comfort with a solid ending. This allows kids to trust in what they read. It never hurts for adults to reap that benefit sometimes!

3) They’re illustrated. I know, another obvious one, but illustrations allow the reader to visualize the story without being extraordinarily taxing. Words without images force the reader to conjure up their own mental illustrations which is great exercise for the brain and is another reason why reading is so good for people, but it can be somewhat taxing on an overstressed mind. Taking some of the burden off the reader for imagining things can allow the reader to still enjoy the story, but also relax the mind a bit to allow it to wind down.

There are arguments out there, like this one, and this one that say that kids shouldn’t be pushed out of picture books into chapter books because picture books still have value for teaching skills and reinforcing literacy skills. There’s really no reason for adults not to reap these benefits as well! Particularly in the summertime when people are looking for light, fun reads, there’s no harm in revisiting an old favorite to remind yourself of when you learned to love reading. Or maybe you can discover a new picture book to love that can connect you with your inner child and rediscover the fun of finding a new picture book to love.

With the goal of light, comfort reading in mind, here are a few of my favorite picture books, old and new that I’m always happy to go back to and share with young and old alike:

Miss Nelson Is Missing! by Harry Allard

Having had a 1st grade teacher named Mrs. Nelson, this book is particularly endearing to me. I’ve never forgotten the illustrations and was thrilled to see that there are 2 more of these books with Miss Nelson and her class. This book can still appeal to adults in reminding us not to take the amazing people in our lives for granted.

Miss Hazeltine’s Home for Shy and Fearful Cats by Alicia Potter

Considering the South Branch had Caturday! earlier this month, I’m sure it will come as no surprise that this book is among my favorites. It is a story about cat fostering and how furry litter critters who can’t talk can still somehow burrow their way deep into our hearts. I was so moved by this book that I contacted Alicia Potter almost as soon as I closed the back cover. Fortunately, she was as kind as her protagonist and she was a fantastic addition to Caturday!

Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish

There are tons of Amelia Bedelia books out there and while the newer, younger versions of Amelia written by the original author’s nephew Herman Parish still have a lot of charm, my heart belongs to the original Peggy Parish creations. They are funny and contain puns that are as delightful to adults as they are to kids. My mom and I whiled away countless hours reading these books again and again and I’m always happy to revisit those wonderful, nostalgic times. You can start with the original, but really, pick any of them in the series. Trust me, you can’t go wrong!

Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems

I would be remiss if I didn’t put in one of my new favorite children’s authors. The Knuffle Bunny (pronounced Kuh-nuffle) trilogy is a heartwarming group of ruminations on child development and the bond between parents and children. No, really. Yes, they’re also about a child and her favorite stuffed toy and many other things, but Willems has the rare gift of appealing equally to adults and children with themes to which both can relate. This was one of the books that the Kindergarten class I read to this year asked about repeatedly. It is completely deserving of re-readings with a small caveat: the third book is tear-inducing so it may not make the best bedtime reading for grownups unless you’re ready to cry yourself to sleep. (I can neither confirm nor deny that this is a caution from actual experience….)

What’s Under My Bed? by James Stevenson

I must have read this book dozens of times when I was a kid. Stevenson’s sketchy watercolors were as soothing to me as the text. This book had the right combination of humor and lesson and to this day, I still crack up that the child version of grandpa also had a mustache, indicative of the way kids just can’t seem to think of adults outside of their adult form. I was thrilled to discover that this book is one that still remains in the collection of treasured picture books that have been kept from my childhood. This book is worth reading over and over again.

I hope that this entry has offered you, dear readers, another view of picture books and that you’ll consider picking one up as a cure for insomnia or just out of curiosity. Please feel free to stop by the South Branch to discuss them anytime. I love talking about the new ones that have come into our collection and have many more old favorites to share! Comments about your favorite picture books are most welcome as well. Till next week, dear readers, sweet reads and sweet dreams!