Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.” – Emilie Buchwald
I can’t think of a better way to start the year than having one of my books chosen in the Guardian’s readers’ poll for the best Australian picture books of all time. Come Over to My House, co-written with musician Eliza Hull and illustrated by Daniel Gray-Barnett, is a rhyming picture book that explores the home lives of children and parents who are d/Deaf or disabled. I am so proud to have been a part of creating this book, and so thrilled to see it on this list among so many extraordinary titles.
Some of the books on this list were created by dear friends and peers. Others are books I read to my children when they were young. It’s wonderful to see so many Australian picture books have stood the test of time, passed down from one generation to the next. Many of these picture books hold such a strong place in our hearts because they represent a cherished time in our childhoods: memories of being cuddled on someone’s lap, or sitting cross-legged on a mat listening to a beloved adult fill the room with funny voices.
Unlike most books, picture books are primarily created to read aloud. Along with being a lovely way to connect with a child, reading aloud is a vital first step to developing literacy. It expands vocabulary, enhances brain development and develops what is called “phonological awareness” – helping children become familiar with rhythms and patterns in language. Research shows that regularly reading aloud to your child from a young age gives them a clear advantage when they start school.
Sadly, many adults stop reading picture books to children when they have developed the skills to read for themselves. Sometimes that is because the child believes they have outgrown them, declaring “picture books are for babies”. Nothing could be further from the truth. Often children’s authors will use more complex vocabulary and sophisticated storytelling in a picture book than they would in an early chapter book, which usually aims to introduce a familiar but limited vocabulary, as well as simple storylines, for a child to decode on their own.
And the text is just half of the story; illustrators don’t just draw what is written in the words but add another layer of meaning, often carrying the book’s emotional weight. In the Guardian’s list of the best 50 books, children can imagine what it might feel like to be a wombat, a fox, a possum or a bunyip. They can learn how to be proud of their differences, or discover how similar they are to someone who might appear different to them. There are books that act as mirrors, and others as windows. Reading develops empathy and I am heartened to see how diverse this selection is, and how many of these books portray the lives of such a wide range of children.
As my co-author, Eliza Hull, says: “Growing up with a disability, I remember not seeing myself in any of the picture books I was read, and I wish the books that exist today had been around then, because I would have felt far less alone.” Or our illustrator Daniel Gray-Barnett, who discovered from working on this book that he has Autism Spectrum Disorder: “Knowing this about myself has explained so much to me about how my brain works and why I am the way I am. This book has changed my life. I’m so glad it came to me when it did.”
You never know: a book on this wonderful list could change your child’s life. Or even your own.
