When my child first started school I was surprised at how many picture books she was given as reading material with very little or no words in. I felt that my child had started to grasp reading a little and was able to recognise and start to spell out certain words and wondered if using only picture books may set her back. After speaking to a number of teachers I realised the importance of picture books in learning and that they too have a great advantage to teaching.

Picture books can be a great way to start a conversation with your child, asking them questions such as “what do you think he is saying on this page?” or “how do you think that made the sister feel?” for example. This allows our child to not only understand the story but also to consider behaviour and feelings, which may sometimes be missed by just concentrating on reading the words on the page.