And all you can do is to go where they can find you.” ‘Because Poetry and Hums aren’t things which you get, they’re things which get you. But on the other hand, they have such lovely rhythm and language, and I think you could read them again and again, and gather things to think about each time. So many cultural references to be explained, and the stories can be confusing. Seuss (maybe I’d finally master the tongue twisters of “Fox in Socks”).īut I think instead I’d stretch the definition of “picture book” a bit and take “The House at Pooh Corner.” I admit it’s not something I read much to my children when they were very young. I might pick a Richard Scarry: so many pictures, so many stories already there and in the pictures waiting to be told. I had to name my three favorite picture books recently (for a revision of the book “Reading With Babies, Toddlers and Twos,” which I co-wrote with Susan Straub and Rachel Payne, that’s coming in April), and I chose the three I buy for baby showers: “Clap Hands,” “Everywhere Babies” and “Little Pea.” But if I had to pick just one - my desert island picture book, so to speak, I don’t think I’d go with any of those. What would you choose? What picture book meant the most to you as a child? And now, as an adult? But I think I must cast my vote for “Where the Wild Things Are.” Let the wild rumpus start! And afterward, home to bed and a supper that is still hot.Īs an adult, I often reflect on the books that have changed the way I see the world,īut picture books have also exerted a powerful force on my imagination, and still do. The uncanny rhythms of “ Goodnight Moon”? The few words, and inexhaustibly fascinating pictures, of “Ten Minutes Till Bedtime”? The irrepressible, unapologetic individuality - and excellent vocabulary - of “Fancy Nancy”? Gretchen Rubin: Here’s a question: If you could select one picture book to hand to every child at birth, what would you pick? There are so many wonderful choices.
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