If you’re seeking to understand the significance of yesterday’s Newbery Medal being awarded to a picture book, grab a cuppa and settle in.

Photo courtesy of author Carter Higgins from AlltheWonders.
Five years ago, The New York Times published an article that caused consternation among picture book creators: “Picture Books No Longer a Staple for Children.” In fact, the words within plunged a dagger directly into our hearts.
Parents have begun pressing their kindergartners and first graders to leave the picture book behind and move on to more text-heavy chapter books. Publishers cite pressures from parents who are mindful of increasingly rigorous standardized testing in schools.
It felt as though No Child Left Behind was leaving we authors and illustrators behind. A children’s bookseller was even quoted as saying that picture books sat languishing on their shelves, dying sad little deaths.
OUCH.
As a parent of young kids, I saw it happening. I’d be at the library and witness tots being steered toward thicker books that didn’t have pictures, children being told they’re smarter than 32 pages. Parents suggesting, “You don’t want this,” while in the picture book section. The word “this” dripping with disdain. At the school, parents bragging about their 2nd graders finishing the entire Harry Potter series.
And I remembered being in 2nd grade myself and being told to abandon picture books…and being devastated.
What parents were missing, and some may still be missing, is that chapter books, while perhaps longer, aren’t necessarily more “difficult” than picture books. In fact, I just had a discussion with my agent this week about the pros and cons of revising a manuscript and turning it into an early chapter book series. Since these books are for newly independent readers, the language is far simpler to allow autonomy. I expressed my concern over having to simplify my sentences and vocabulary. I felt my word play and structure would be limited. That’s right, writing a chapter book would force me to be less complex in my storytelling. (I should emphasize I’m talking about early chapter books here, not middle-grade novels which are for older children and are the standard Newbery fare.)
Back in 2010, the economy also played a role in what some saw as the picture book’s demise. The recession lingered and families had less discretionary income. Some publishers reported signing fewer picture book projects. No one was quite sure what to make of ebooks and iPads competing for kiddie eyeballs in the coming years, either. Would everyone migrate to digital books and snub hard copies?
Fast forward five years. Juvenile ebook sales have actually declined (by 1.4m units in 2014, according to Nielsen). iPads did not replace a parent’s lap and a physical book. The economy bounced back and children’s books have emerged as the bright spot in publishing. “The Children’s/YA market in 2014 represented 36% of the overall print market…slightly bigger than the adult fiction market,” reports Nielsen. Moreover, the price of children’s books has remained unchanged for over a decade. In other words, picture books are a terrific financial value. Now let’s talk about their intellectual, artistic and just plain JOYFUL value.
With yesterday’s announcement of Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson’s LAST STOP ON MARKET STREET winning the Newbery Medal, an honor typically bestowed upon middle-grade novels, librarians are sending a clear message that debunks the NYT article of yore:
PICTURE BOOKS ARE IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO CHILDREN’S LITERATURE.
They are not simple little books with cute drawings. They are art. They are motion and emotion. They introduce children to the complexities of the world around them in a charming, engaging manner. They teach life skills while they entertain. They relay a story both visually and contextually, challenging children to solve their playful puzzle. They introduce children to irony and satire, history and innovation, wit and wisdom. They expand the imagination and teach storytelling skills. And they do all this while amusing parents, grandparents and caregivers as well. How’s that for a nifty little package?
They’re for ANY AND ALL AGES. ANY TIME. ANYWHERE.
As Dr. Seuss once said, you can read them in a box. You can read them with a fox. (Or was that something to do with breakfast?)
So bravo to Matt de la Peña, Christian Robinson and the ALA. We all won yesterday, folks. WE ALL WON.
Historical notes: The Newbery Medal was awarded to a picture book once before in 1981, although A VISIT TO WILLIAM BLAKE’S INN can be categorized as an illustrated collection of poetry and, at 48 pages, not necessarily a traditional picture book. Other picture books have received Newbery Honor recognition: MILLIONS OF CATS (1929, prior to the Caldecott), FROG & TOAD TOGETHER (1973), DOCTOR DE SOTO (1983), SHOW WAY (2006) and DARK EMPEROR AND OTHER POEMS OF THE NIGHT (2011).
99 comments
Comments feed for this article
January 12, 2016 at 7:37 am
Al The Author
Well said!
January 12, 2016 at 7:37 am
Dimity Powell
Viva la picture book. Well documented Tara!
January 12, 2016 at 7:38 am
Andrea Mack
YES!! Picture books are special, and so, so important!! I feel privileged to even be able to attempt writing a picture book.
January 12, 2016 at 7:44 am
Christine Connolly
Well said! I still read PB and have a 7 & 10 year old….when they tire of them I will still read them to myself.
January 12, 2016 at 8:01 am
Ali Pfautz
Such exciting news and a wonderful testament to the continued power of the PB!!
January 12, 2016 at 8:04 am
Tim Young
Well said, Tara. Having recently revisited my home town library, I remembered how I was one of the older kids still using the children’s section way back when. Unfortunately, a lot of the time it meant that kids stopped going to the library all together instead of moving up to older books.
January 12, 2016 at 8:08 am
Tina Cho
Amen!
January 12, 2016 at 8:17 am
donnacangelosi
Bravo! Thanks for a great post, Tara! Here’s to never outgrowing picture books!
January 12, 2016 at 8:32 am
kathalsey
Tara, it is great to b a writer in the “new golden age” of picture books. Love the history lesson of the recent past, too.
January 12, 2016 at 8:55 am
Kenneth Lamug
Great write up. Love PB! Congratulations to the win!
January 12, 2016 at 8:59 am
Annelouise
It’s such an exciting time for picture books! Awesome post Tara!!
January 12, 2016 at 9:00 am
Darlene
Wonderful and informative post!
January 12, 2016 at 9:02 am
Chana Stiefel
Truly one of your best posts yet! WE WON!
January 12, 2016 at 9:05 am
Lynn A. Davidson
It seems to be a great time to be writing picture books! Thanks, Tara, for such a good article on this. Hooray for picture books!
January 12, 2016 at 9:13 am
Rita D. Russell
What a fantastic post, Tara! So happy to see PB’s receiving the validation that they deserve.
January 12, 2016 at 9:20 am
Carleen M. Tjader
A great post! And as picture book readers and writers and lovers…we knew this all along!
January 12, 2016 at 9:20 am
Jane Heitman Healy
Yes, yes, a thousand times, YES!!!
January 12, 2016 at 9:29 am
Diane Kress Hower
Wonderful book! Wonderful post! I am rejoicing!
January 12, 2016 at 9:29 am
kevanjatt
Hear! Hear!
Thanks for this, Tara!
January 12, 2016 at 9:31 am
Bonnie Adamson
Brava! Hear, hear!!What she said! I nominate Tara as Picture Book Ambassador for what will surely be the Year of the Picture Book–who’s with me? 😀
January 12, 2016 at 9:32 am
Lindsay Hanson Metcalf
I am pretty new to writing picture books, so I liked the history here. Great post, Tara!
January 12, 2016 at 9:37 am
ManjuBeth
YES! Thank you for this post, Tara!
January 12, 2016 at 9:39 am
Dee Knabb
So uplifting to have such recognition for the genre.
January 12, 2016 at 10:02 am
Jacqueline
As I’m reading this post, I’m sitting next to my mother-in-law and father-in-law in a doctor’s waiting room. Both are in their eighties, and both are reading picture books from the pile on the waiting room table. Picture books really are for any and all ages, any time, anywhere!
January 12, 2016 at 10:51 am
Trine
This is the making of a picture book in itself, Jacqueline!
January 12, 2016 at 10:24 am
stephenswinburne
Children will always want a story in words and pictures. Now and forever. Great post Tara!
January 12, 2016 at 10:27 am
Jennette Mutolo
Tara, fantastic post! Great read! Unfortunately, after the announcement yesterday there were a few librarian colleagues of mine who were actually mad that a picture book won. Elementary…school…librarians🤔 Well, that made me a little sad. But I’m going to Let It Go! And focus on the positive!
January 12, 2016 at 10:32 am
Tara Lazar
I think a similar feeling emerged when HUGO CABRET won the Caldecott. I can understand, in a way, how some feel that other deserving books lost out. But I feel as though this was a message about PBs and their future. How they’re not going away, how the reports of their demise were incorrect, how parents should embrace the form rather than push it away as soon as possible.
January 12, 2016 at 12:20 pm
Jennette Mutolo
I totally agree Tara!
January 12, 2016 at 10:38 am
Robyn Campbell
Love this, Tara. My FB group had a discussion about this yesterday. It’s a wonderful thing. And it is about all of us who labor and struggle with our stories. It’s a great thing.
January 12, 2016 at 10:48 am
LaurenKerstein
Well said! A time to rejoice indeed! SO TRUE: “PICTURE BOOKS ARE IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO CHILDREN’S LITERATURE.”
January 12, 2016 at 10:49 am
Trine
THRILLING!
January 12, 2016 at 10:54 am
A Picture Book for Newbery! (REJOICE!) | Love, Laughter, and Life
[…] Source: A Picture Book for Newbery! (REJOICE!) […]
January 12, 2016 at 10:57 am
Kate Harold
Oh slippery slush! This is fantastic news. I still read picture books to my 8-year-old every night, and my 11-year-old takes them to his room to read on his own from time to time. And I just gave one to my 40-something brother for Christmas. They are for more than just young children, and I will keep pushing that fact as long as I can. I am so glad that others seem to be recognizing that now too. Well stated, Tara – thanks for this post!
January 12, 2016 at 11:00 am
Lori Alexander
It’s fantastic a PB won the Newbery! I’d love to be a fly on the wall when the selection committee made its final decision. What a shocker!
January 12, 2016 at 11:01 am
Juliana Lee
So happy for the future of picture books!
January 12, 2016 at 11:04 am
Alison Goldberg
Wonderful post, Tara!
January 12, 2016 at 11:05 am
Lori Dubbin
Tara, what a joyful, beautifully written, and informative post. Picture books are the first, essential books that make readers for life.
January 12, 2016 at 11:06 am
susandilldetwiler
LOVE THIS! Thank you, Tara.
January 12, 2016 at 11:17 am
jeanjames926
Bravo!!
January 12, 2016 at 11:19 am
Wendy Greenley
You are so right! Not just the kids, but now the picture book writers can dream big, too. 🙂
January 12, 2016 at 11:25 am
Denise Bowman
Hi, Tara, I really appreciate what you said in this post! I am a junior high librarian, and I also teach one section of Literature for Children and Young Adults a the University of Houston-Clear Lake as an adjunct (I’ve also done PiBoMo a couple of times!). I constantly try to show how picture books are for everyone and how valuable they are! How did we get to the point that people think they are all just “baby books”??? I am asking for your permission to share some of your thoughts with my college students, as well as the teachers on my campus. Please let me know if that is okay with you.
I enjoy your updates! Thank you for sharing.
Denise Bowman Deer Park, TX
January 12, 2016 at 12:44 pm
Tara Lazar
Of course and thank you! Tara Lazar’s posts are FOR ANY & ALL AGES. LOL
January 12, 2016 at 11:47 am
ptnozell
Brilliant, Tara! Thank you for articulating what so many of us have been feeling.
January 12, 2016 at 12:02 pm
Patricia Toht
Wonderful post, Tara. I’m cheering along with you, so happy for this recognition of the value of picture books in children’s literature and in children’s lives.
January 12, 2016 at 12:28 pm
danielledufayet
Thank you for sharing, Tara! Great info. 🙂
January 12, 2016 at 12:44 pm
A Picture Book for Newbery! (REJOICE!) | Writing for Kids (While Raising Them) | Dayne Sislen Illustration
[…] Source: A Picture Book for Newbery! (REJOICE!) | Writing for Kids (While Raising Them) […]
January 12, 2016 at 1:10 pm
Michelle Heidenrich Barnes
Thanks for such a great post, Tara! Another non-traditional PB that earned a Newbery Honor award in 2011 is the 32 page, illustrated DARK EMPEROR AND OTHER POEMS OF THE NIGHT by Joyce Sidman.
January 12, 2016 at 2:25 pm
Tara Lazar
Thank you! I’ll add that to the history! It’s difficult just browsing through the list to identify the genres! Only the titles I knew popped out.
January 12, 2016 at 1:17 pm
Charlotte Dixon
Terrific post about the past and the future of the PB which is storytelling at its finest 🙂
January 12, 2016 at 1:26 pm
rubineleanor
Thank you for this celebration of picture books and for the background you provided. Understanding the recent jeopardy of the whole genre makes this award for a fine picture book even more splendid.
January 12, 2016 at 1:35 pm
Maria Marshall
Thanks for highlighting the importance of this award. It is a major accomplishment.
January 12, 2016 at 1:42 pm
LovableLobo
I absolutely loved the buzz yesterday that the awards created! I do, however, find it sad that so many other worthy books go unnoticed. Such is the award process. Picture perfect…I mean picture book perfect post, Tara!
January 12, 2016 at 1:47 pm
Rene` Diane Aube
Thanks for explaining about the Newbery, Tara. I admit I don’t quite have a handle on what all the awards are about, yet. I’m excited to be on the upward swing of the picture book scene and hope to be a real part of it, someday. 🙂
January 12, 2016 at 1:52 pm
Rosi Hollinbeck
Lovely post. Thanks, Tara.
January 12, 2016 at 1:58 pm
LeeAnn Rizzuti
Hurrah to Matt and Christian for bringing street cred to PBs. And to Tara for her great post celebrating this achievement.
January 12, 2016 at 2:01 pm
Poupette Smith
One minute PBs are too long, so cut cut cut, the next they’re too short, so flesh out into CB/other. Go figure. (Happily, I once sold a ms by reworking the length, cutting from 3000 wds. to 700…) Hoorah for this year’s Newbery! Yea for PBs!
January 12, 2016 at 2:06 pm
JEN Garrett
Oh dear, I might be one of those moms bragging that my Kindergartener reads chapter books. But I don’t mean to offend the picture book world! For every chapter book, I think he reads 10 picture books… and rereads them because that’s one of the fantastic qualities of picture books: re-readability!
January 12, 2016 at 2:20 pm
Jessica Burnam
Thanks for that background Tara, and for educating me. This award truly is a monumental coup for the picture book world! I hadn’t known, until your post!
January 12, 2016 at 2:27 pm
Joanne Sher
So, SO well said. Makes me so INCREDIBLY happy. Thank you for saying it so very eloquently and clearly.
January 12, 2016 at 2:37 pm
Judith Dillingham
I taught grades 5 – 6 for more than 30 years. I always had a stack of picture books in my classroom for my students to enjoy during ‘silent reading’. I had my personal favorites that I hid so that I could read them aloud to the class. The humor in most picture books is very sophisticated. The ‘big kids’ enjoyed them as much or more than the primary students.
Judith Dillingham
January 12, 2016 at 2:40 pm
Keila Dawson
What she said! Excellent. So sharing…
January 12, 2016 at 3:24 pm
csheer18
Tara, thanks for the informative, uplifting post. Congrats to the creators of the winning Newbery picture book!
Now, if we could just get the NY Times to retract (read as: eat their words) and rewrite about PBs all will be well with our writing-and-reading world!
January 12, 2016 at 4:55 pm
claireannette1
Picture books “are motion and emotion” – well said!
January 12, 2016 at 5:03 pm
Heather Pierce Stigall
Great post Tara!
January 12, 2016 at 5:32 pm
mariagianferrari
Woo-hoo & hooray for picture books on all counts! Thanks, Tara!
January 12, 2016 at 5:35 pm
Laura Purdie Salas
Well said, Tara! I was so happy when they announced this :>)
January 12, 2016 at 5:38 pm
Cathy Stefanec Ogren
Yay, Tara! Excellent post!
January 12, 2016 at 6:50 pm
Margaret Greanias
Well said! I’m going to share this to my FB friends so they’ll understand what PB writing is about.
January 12, 2016 at 7:22 pm
Penny Parker Klostermann
Love.this.post!!!!!
January 12, 2016 at 8:03 pm
Joanne R. Fritz
Tara, you stated this so elegantly! Thank you. And I remember that article and those dire predictions from 2010. The bookstore where I worked at that time continued to sell plenty of picture books, partly because I showed them to parents, shared my enthusiasm for the books, and said, “This is what you need.”
Picture books forever!
On the other hand, I have friends writing MG who worry about the significance of this Newbery and what it means for future MG books. Why has the Caldecott always been about illustration and there’s NEVER been a specific award for PB texts?
January 13, 2016 at 10:06 am
Tara Lazar
There’s the Charlotte Zolotow award from the SCBWI for PB text, but no text award from the ALA.
I don’t think MG books are threatened, but I do see how folks who write MG can feel slighted. Remember that HUGO CABRET was given the Caldecott back in 2008 and the Caldecott committee altered the rules a bit so it will be more difficult for an MG to be awarded the medal in the future. I don’t think they will do the same here because PBs are for young ages “and up.” We’ll see what someone in MG has to say!
January 12, 2016 at 8:43 pm
Nancy Colle
Bravo! Well said!
January 12, 2016 at 10:44 pm
Nancy Ramsey
Thanks, Tara! Great news! Great post!
January 12, 2016 at 11:05 pm
Lynette Oxley
Great blog, Tara!
January 12, 2016 at 11:39 pm
Christine Pinto
Thank you for your great definition of what picture books are!
January 13, 2016 at 9:47 am
Wendy Martin Art
As a picture book illustrator (and writer) this brings tears of joy to my eyeballs. How’s that for an image to illustrate?
January 13, 2016 at 11:54 am
Elizabeth Voss
Thanks for your post. It’s a great one for picture book writers. I linked to your blog on my blog, “Can You Read Me a Story?” on Blogger.
http://canyoureadmeastory.blogspot.com/
I list your blog as one not to miss.
—Elizabeth Voss
January 13, 2016 at 1:56 pm
Tara Lazar
Thank you, Elizabeth!
January 13, 2016 at 1:51 pm
Jill Jeffries
Well stated! Thank you for your insight. I also believe that sadly, we’re rushing our children through childhood when we rush them from picture books to chapter books.
January 13, 2016 at 3:01 pm
Sandy Perlic
Well said, Tara! We all win.
January 14, 2016 at 12:19 pm
marlainagray
Reblogged this on Marlaina Gray and commented:
Sharing Tara’s terrific post on “Last Stop on Market Street” winning the Newbery. It’s a really lovely book – read it!
January 14, 2016 at 5:38 pm
Katelyn Aronson
You said it, Tara! And you said it well (because you are you). Great article!
January 15, 2016 at 10:06 am
Rejoice! | Z is for Zampetti
[…] A Picture Book for Newbery! (REJOICE!) […]
January 15, 2016 at 1:38 pm
Lynn A. Davidson
Tara, today I added you on my blog page “Writers’ Helps, Quotes & Workshops” because you are such a tremendous help to writers. You can check it out here –> http://lynnadavidson.com/writers-helps/ — if you want to. I plan to soon reblog this post, too, as it is so good.
Thanks, again, for all you do.
January 15, 2016 at 10:50 pm
Tara Lazar
Thanks, Lynn!
January 15, 2016 at 6:28 pm
Dana Arnim
Indeed!
January 15, 2016 at 11:21 pm
Lynn
Reblogged this on Polilla Writes and commented:
Today I am reblogging a post I thought would interest you. I’ve talked about Tara Lazar before, that PiBoIdMo was created by her, that she’s a picture book author. (I reviewed her book The Monstore on February 18, 2014.) She’s a smart cookie, this Tara Lazar.
Enjoy this informative article written by her.
Thanks for reading, and Creative Musings! 🙂
January 16, 2016 at 2:05 pm
Tracy Molitors
Wow, Tara! That is great report on the significance of a picture book receiving the Newberry –Also, a graceful and well-stated rendition of the value of the picture book in general. Thanks!
January 16, 2016 at 8:20 pm
Sue Morris @ KidLitReviews
Great post. Going to add it to my next post. We need to hear your message.
January 16, 2016 at 11:30 pm
Sue Morris @ KidLitReviews
Reblogged this on Kid Lit Reviews.
January 17, 2016 at 10:53 pm
ELJohnsen
Reblogged this on E.L. Johnsen.
January 18, 2016 at 8:12 am
authorshannonanderson
Great article, Tara. I write picture books, but also teach third grade gifted and talented students. Even with these students, that can read high school level texts, I use picture books as my mentor texts to introduce new concepts. They also just still LOVE to read them and to be read to. There is so much to be said for the power of a shorter story and the magic of the illustrations.
January 18, 2016 at 5:05 pm
Carol Gordon Ekster
Can you hear the clink of glasses? I’m rejoicing! Very exciting.
January 19, 2016 at 9:16 pm
aliciaminor
There’s always magic in picture books. I cannot imagine children’s literature without picture books. It will stay and go on forever and ever.
January 20, 2016 at 6:11 pm
sallie wolf
Loved this post, Tara. It’s interesting how people are always predicting the demise of things (radio, TV, print books, painting) and then these things weather the time, the new technologies, and then go on. Picture books are too complex to be by-passed. They convey so much. Parents who urge their children to skip picture books and read longer books are hindering their children’s development of visual literacy, a very important skill in this age of images.
I foresee another golden age for picture books–there are so many young babies being born–the boomer’s boom I guess. Everybody hang in there–persistence and dedication are what it takes.
Sallie Wolf
January 23, 2016 at 1:32 pm
Becky Shillington
Thank you for this, Tara! I agree–we all won!
February 2, 2016 at 2:00 pm
Rebecca Lynn
Books like Berenstain Bears have always been a good transition, with great illustrations and enough words for transitioning readers. These are the books I’ll use for my children.
February 7, 2016 at 6:42 pm
jlfatgcs
Bravo! What a wonderful surprise that a children’s book won the Newbery. Keep writing. I’ll be reading. Love your blog.