Picture Book Curriculum

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Utilizing Picture Books in Middle School Curriculum
A picture book which "combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format” (Picture book), was originally introduced in Middle Ages and at that time was designed for adult reading. At the present, the primary audience for picture books are children and are used in story times, bedtime stories, and elementary school read-aloud and are usually found in the children’s section of the library, bookstores and elementary school libraries. Although the foci of many children’s book have been created with children in mind, not all picture books are suitable for younger children as they may address themes and topics that are beyond a child’s understanding (Billman, 2002, p. 48). Some examples to demonstrate this point would be The House That Crack Built by Taylor Clark as it details the vicious cycle of crack addiction and Smoky Night by Eve Bunting that tells a story of riots, looting and arson during the Los Angeles riots.
Further, picture books have become more appreciated by a greater audience and the vocabulary used and the topics covered have also expanded to accommodate wider audience range (Linder, 2007, p. 3). Although, the picture books are
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65). These students are at a disadvantage when more advanced reading and topics require this background knowledge as picture books can be used to create a foundation of knowledge for further learning in a topic area. In addition to gaining background knowledge on topics, picture books are more successfully able to include all reading levels, not alienating students that have difficulty reading and grasping the concepts in standard