How fitting that our new CBCA Picture Book of the Year Judge, Karen Macpherson, presents a delightful reflection on her love of picture books.
When I was a young girl, if I had been especially good, my
mother would bring down from its place on the top shelf, an exquisite picture
book copy of Charles Kingsley’s The Water
Babies. She would tell me how she had received it from her own grandparents
and it seemed inconceivably old and precious to my six year old self. The
illustrations were stunning, the book itself was not a traditional book shape,
and to top it all off, one could look through little holes in the pages and
catch glimpses of secrets yet to be revealed. It was the start of a lifelong
love of picture books.
I think there was something more going on than just my
admiration of the book though. Picture books represent snuggling up with a much
loved grown up, silly voices, a door to extraordinary new places, people and
dilemmas. Still taking pride of place on my bookshelves today are some of my
childhood favourites, now looking much loved following my own daughter’s
enjoyment of them. Jane Pilgrim’s Mother
Hen and Mary probably had a lot to do with my subsequent love of owls and
also my becoming a teacher. Tales of the
Countryside arrived on my eighth birthday and immediately became a
favourite escape with its amazing world of animals, gnomes and fairies. It
prompted the budding author in me to write similar adventures, some of which
went on to win junior writing prizes.
My daughter had her first picture book read to her in
hospital at just a few hours old. Maybe all she saw was a flash of bright
colour, the movement of the pages. Maybe she could smell that wonderful book
scent that she still claims will mean books will never be replaced by e-books.
Or maybe she just associated my voice, the way I held her, with warmth and love.
Now at the age of sixteen, we still on occasion curl up in bed and have a picture
book marathon. Favourites are the wonderfully rhythmical The Strange Things by Ann Martin, Time for Bed by Mem Fox (which we read without fail every night for
years and was the first book she “read” for herself). There is Billywise by Judith Nicholls about the
little owl who doubted he would be able to fly. Floss by Kim Lewis came along when we lived in an inner city unit
with no pets allowed and represented everything she would have hoped for in a
pet at the time. And of course, the incomparable Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak.
As a teacher, picture books often were the vehicle I would
use to broach difficult topics like loss, bullying and sadness. Others would be
the catalyst to get students thinking about a unit of work. The amazing thing
was that it didn’t matter what year level I taught, picture books were still
appropriate because they often dealt with incredibly complex issues in a
deceptively simple and safe way. Even as an adult reader, it is hard not to be
touched by books like Wolf Erlbruch’s Duck,
Death and the Tulip.
There are some who question the longevity of the picture
book. Children today have access to moving pictures on any number of devices
and there seems to be a push from many parents to move children on to chapter
books as soon as possible. What a shame that would be! Can you imagine
childhoods without a story on Grandma’s lap, daddy’s silly character voices or
pouring over illustrations for minute details with a sibling? How many artists
were inspired by the often stunning illustrations in the picture books they
read as children? As long as there are children, and children at heart, there
will always be a place for the picture book.
Karen Macpherson
CBCA Picture Book of
the Year Judge
Happy Reading!
