Before you leave be sure to scroll to the comments and tell us What is Your Earliest Memory of a Picture Book. (Karma Wilson, (Bear Snores On) talks about her earliest memory at Picture Book Month.)
Confession: I never read Winnie the Pooh until I was in college. Sad, but true. The friend who introduced me to him was aghast. She said, “I thought you were more well-rounded than that.” No, that would be my hips that are well-rounded. Okay, I didn’t really say that-it just took me 40 years to think of a good come-back.
I know my mom and dad read to me. My mother has a passion for reading which she passed on to me. But, today I tried to think back to when I was little and my favorite picture book, but nothing stood out. . I tried to sift through my cob web ridden gray matter…..I could remember
encyclopedias with an accompanying set of Childhood Poems. I could remember the bookcase in the living room….Then it came to me….Little Golden Books. Many of them. I think the local grocery gave one out a week with a minimum purchase.
The Little Red Hen, the Three Little Kittens, the Three Little Pigs, The Poky Little Puppy. And I remembered the overstuffed chair with cabbage roses where I used to sit on my mom’s lap while she read to me.
Then the memory gates burst and I also remembered the art of Eloise Wilkin in My Goodnight Book. I remember holding this book when I was small. Then when my girls were little, my mother bought them a copy saying to me, ‘you used to have this when you were little.’ And then a generation later I bought my granddaughters a copy. Eloise’s beautiful, prolific artwork and her depiction of children has lasted for generations. (I should be so blessed to have just one book do that.)
I’ve already been inspired this November by PiBoIdMo, and Picture Book Month. Both posts have some wonderful authors, illustrators and editors giving insight, inspiration and tips–all for free!!!
Picture Book Month is a celebration of the picture book and its importance and significance in our lives. So far there have been posts by Caldecott medal winner Chris Raschka, illustrator Tom Lichtenfeld, another Caldecott winner Paul O. Zelinsky, illustrator John Rocco, author Uma Krishnaswami, and today’s author was Doreen Cronin (one of my favorites). There is a stellar line-up for the entire month of November. Don’t miss a day.
PiBoIdMo is a challenge to a group of writers and illustrators to come up with a new picture book idea each day in November. Already we have had inspiring and motivational posts by new author, Amy Dixon, wonderfully funny author/illustrator Robert Weinstock, award winning author and founder of Picture Book Month, Dianne de Las Casas, editor Emma Ledbetter, illustrator James Burks, and author/illustrator Deborah Freedman. Author Tammi Sauer talks about structure.
So with many opportunities to appreciate our contemporary talent, learn some techniques, be challenged and encouraged by our peers, you have no excuse not to have fun this month… Enjoy, reminisce, and READ a picture book. OH – and just for fun tell me what is your earliest memory of a picture book.
Blessings on your day & your creativity.
Laura (grandmamiller)
Laura Miller (a.k.a. Grandmamiller) 
Harold and the Purple Crayon when I was a toddler. Now, I am an adult carrying around purple colored pencils. Hmmm…I think that book made an impact. I can only dream my toys and books inspire other children, too.
Alison – I know they will inspire and delight children. You have inspired adults with your blogs and art and compassion. Purple is also a favorite pen of mine!! BTW – I joined up on SkADaMo-thanks for posting about it.
Thank you, Laura. My book launch event is Sunday. Crossing fingers for a decent crowd or even just one person. : p
Will FLAP my wings in prayer for you!!
I didn’t have picture books at home before school age. Instead, my grandpa would make up stories and draw pictures for me. At school picture books did not resonate like Grandpa’s stories, until the upper-grade kids shared their handmade picture books. Then I was hooked. I would memorize them at school and retell them over and over. My favorite to retell: The Three Little Pigs.
What a wonderful memory! I loved listening to my Grandma tell stories about growing up.
I loved my Mother Goose book. I read that over and over. I remember studying the drawings even back then.
I remember that one – I used to read it to kids I babysat. 🙂
Definitely lots of Wilkins illustrated Golden Books, but what I loved most were all the Richard Scarry books like The Best Word Book Ever!
Oh – you’d fit right in w/my oldest granddaughter. She loves him. She’ll pick a page in one of his books and then I have to make up a story to include everything on the page.
I have very fond memories of the Berenstain Bear books, and the Pokey Little Puppy too : )
How sweet…I bet your mom loved you lots, too! 😉
One picture book that I really liked was Mr. Bear Squash-You-All-Flat……I remember that I thought it was lots of fun to say his name, too!
Hee-hee. The title just made me laugh!! and want to read it.
Little Rabbit’s Loose Tooth is the earliest book I can remember. I remember checking it out a few times from the library and eventually, as an adult, I tracked it down and bought it. 🙂 Richard Scarry and a Mother Goose collection were two more favorites.
awww-that’s one I haven’t heard of…I’ll have to find it and read it to my bunny, Sully.
Aw, a house bunny? I’ve got one of those myself. My beloved, spoiled rotten diva, Hopper. She, however, has no patience for me either reading out loud or talking on the phone. I can sing all I want to her, but if I do either of those, I get thumped at and then she runs and hides somewhere. LOL!
yeah–he is our 2nd bunny. There’s more about him on one of the perfect picture book posts, when I rec. Marshmallow.
“The Little House” by Virginia Lee Burton…and then when I was five and in the hospital having my tonsils out (because in those days…early 50’s) if you got a sore throat, they took out your tonsils…my parents brought me a Golden Book, “The Three Little Pigs”.
Laura…this is an amazing post…thank you for sharing all of the picture book information…November is an awesome month for picture books, it’s true!!!
Oh, thanks for sharing Vivian. I was almost 9 when I had my tonsils out and in the hospital w/complications on my birthday. No televisions in the room so I got lots of books and coloring books. Aside from being sick I was in heaven. 🙂
That is funny…well, not really funny…but I was always in heaven when I was surrounded by books. I did a post over a year ago about the time my mom left me in the book department of Abraham and Straus department store in NYC…i was about 9…and I found a copy of Little Women and sat on the floor and read the whole thing…and got up to find my mom and the department store security had been searching for me for hours. 🙂 🙂
Ah… the days before Amber Alert….when it wasn’t needed. In the grocery store my mom left me at the comic aisle.
It was a ‘kinder, gentler’ time in some ways, that’s for sure!
I can’t remember a favorite picture book from my childhood, although I remember my mom taking my brother, my sister and me to the library every single week. I have read thousands of picture books to my class during my 34 years as a teacher. The first book memory I have was a book called Fifty Famous Fairy Tales. Santa brought it to me for Christmas. It had a shiny pink cover, and I read it till the binding literally came off and only the glue was holding it together.
I remember trips to the Menominee, Michigan library in Kindergarten. They had a glass case with an ostrich egg next to a hummingbird egg. I had to check it out every trip.
I had Fifty Famous Fairy Tales, too! (And I liked to refer to it as Fifty Famous Fairy Fables, because I thought the alliteration should continue. Not that I called it alliteration at the time!) Loved it!
Oh yes I remember The Poky Little Puppy too….but memories are of Dr Seuss book especially The Cat in the Hat & Green Eggs & Ham!
My Chicago cousins had all the Dr Seuss books…I was so jealous…and they were bored by them..
I have loved reading all the comments on this post — sorry I’m late in reading the post and all! I had a few very well loved picture books as a child — The Golden Egg by Margaret Wise Brown was a favorite. I also loved a book about a little boy who had to say his sister’s name at her christening — her name was Ann Elizabeth. Since my name is Elizabeth Anne, that delighted me. The book ended with Christmas, with the little boy receiving a small wooden church that his Dad had built, that had a music box inside that played “Silent Night”… I have wanted a church like that ever since.
Little Golden Books were a delight, too. Does anyone remember “The Make-Believe Parade” — it was my favorite.
Sweet Memories, Beth. Especially the Ann Elizabeth/Elizabeth Anne and the music box. My husband’s grandmother approved of me when we first met. Her name was Annie Laurie and my nickname growing up was Laurie Annie (no one’s allowed to call me that now except my great aunt).
I am late reading this also but glad that I am so I could read all the interesting comments. My favorite childhood book was, like Alison, “Harold and the Purple Crayon”. It is still one of my favorites. I think that tells me I have always had a good imagination and love drawing. I also remember my mother taking me and my sisters to the bookmobile that came to a church parking lot close to where we lived once a week. I always looked forward to that weekly trip to search for a book or two.
I absolutely loved “Oh, What a Busy Day!” by Gyo Fujikawa. Something about the little details really kept me looking. Or maybe it was that the details were a bit random. I just loved it.