Library Notes
Judge a Picture Book by its Cover
May 25, 2008
Sara Grajek


Imagine The Little Engine that Could without the cheerful blue train. Or Curious George without drawings of that impish monkey and the Man in the yellow hat. Without those carefully drawn illustrations we would all have very different images to accompany these trademarks of children’s literature. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but these pictures are icons that draw us together with the same classic memories from our childhood, no matter what our age. Some of today’s illustrators have just as much talent. In fact, the pictures are often the first thing I look at when a new book arrives in the children’s room of Rowan Public Library.
With the books A Seed is Sleepy and An Egg is Quiet, by Dianna Aston and illustrated by Sylvia Long, various elements of nature are featured in watercolor illustrations. Delicate yet detailed paintings of seed pods, leaves, pine trees, and much more can be found inside the pages of A Seed is Sleepy along with easy to read hand-printed text. The text provides an introduction to the plants illustrated, but the larger than life paintings are often what captures the reader’s attention.
Jan Brett is practically an icon in preschools because of her book The Mitten, but in addition to that she has also written or illustrated close to 30 other books for children. Her illustrations feature detailed, carefully-planned pages that often include animals and intricate patterns. In many of her books there are ovals at the edge of the page that give an indication of what is to come on the next page. By looking closely at the current page, you can guess what will happen next.
For sheer fun and amusement, take a look at books by Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers. This pair has cleverly crafted their illustrations from food that has been carved to look like smiling faces. Picture an orange with the small stem area on top serving as a nose, a smile carved out just below it (and don’t forget the teeth), then add some happy eyes above with watermelon seeds placed just right for eyeballs. Can’t quite imagine it? Well, stop by the library and check out Food for Thought, where cauliflower florets become sheep, bananas become giraffes, cherries become ants, and eggplants become penguins. Or look for Dr. Pompo’s Nose where all the characters are pumpkins, and Fast Food where vehicles are created from squash, watermelon, and zucchini. No matter who your favorite author is, or what your favorite book, the next time you are at Rowan Public Library take an extra minute to appreciate the illustrations. They can add a whole new layer to your story.