How picture books help kids develop literacy skills

Do you remember the picture books that first brought you joy? The ones that were read to you before you could read, or the ones that sparked your imagination for the first time? When you think about these stories what do you see? 

For most of us, we might see our favorite characters or the enchanting setting of our childhood books. We see the illustrations brought to life through our memories. 

Picture books bring tremendous benefits to kids who are in the early stages of developing their reading skills. Illustrations shown alongside text offer invaluable tools to help kids build understanding, fluency, vocabulary and other foundational literacy skills. The imagery in a picture book brings the pages to life, serving as a visual roadmap for the story.

Here are five important benefits picture books bring to children who are learning to read.

1. Build language skills

As kids begin to speak and build sentences, they learn to recognize sounds and patterns within spoken language. This is known as phonological awareness and serves as the foundation for learning to read. The rhythmic cadence of many picture books helps kids develop and practice phonological awareness. Kids may start by repeating passages of their favorite picture books, then go on to make up their own similar rhymes or stories. 

Dr. Seuss’ ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book! is a picture book that helps build phonological awareness while practicing letter sounds. “Big A little a, what begins with A? Aunt Annie’s Alligator. A…a…A.”

At a most basic level, picture books help kids understand that words convey meaning—connecting the pictures in the book with the words on the page. Kids will check pictures on the page for background knowledge or contextual clues for vocabulary development. They even use the images to learn the names of new objects. 

You can ask a child, “Can you show me where the alligator is on this page?” or “What letter does the word alligator start with?”

2. Identify sequence

By organizing the sequence of events in a story, kids can practice their ability to comprehend what they read. Mastering this skill starts with identifying beginning, middle, and end, and summarizing key events that take place (in order) throughout the story. 

Visual aids and illustrations remind the reader what happened throughout the story and support their ability to confidently retell the key events. As kids hone their sequencing skills, let them look at the pictures to remind them what happened in the story. If they guess, and guess incorrectly, then use it as an opportunity to re-read the passage. This offers a chance to do an additional check for understanding. 

Furthermore, books filled with pictures encourage kids to make predictions and inferences about what’s going to happen next. They can pair the words with the expressions and setting shown in the pictures to make an informed guess about what comes next in the story.

In Miss Nelson is Missing!, readers can infer that Ms. Viola Swamp is Miss Nelson in a costume. Clues in the book, such as the coincidental timing of Miss Nelson’s disappearance and the appearance of Ms. Swamp help lead to this inference.

As you read a book with a child, you are both likely making inferences throughout. The key to helping kids realize when they are making an inference is to talk through the inferences out loud throughout the book. Take breaks to ask questions: “How does Miss Nelson feel when kids misbehave in class?”, “Why do you think Ms. Viola Swamp was outside of Miss Nelson’s house?”, “What do you think happened to Miss Nelson?”.

3. Improve comprehension

There’s a lot to learn on the road to becoming a skilled reader. Along with sequencing and summarizing, there are many other essential skills kids must master in order to comprehend the text they read. Some of those skills include; sentence construction, problem solving, comparing and contrasting, drawing conclusions, inferring, and more. 

Books rich with illustrations and photos offer many benefits to help enhance reading comprehension. Here are just a few of those benefits.

• Pictures provide visual clues to help us discover more about the narrative.

• Pictures show expressions, unwritten details, setting, and context that help us compare and contrast. These details allow us to analyze more complex details of character development.

• Illustrations can provide important background knowledge and offer contextual cues based on what’s happening in the story. This helps us “read between the lines” to find meaning that may not be explicitly stated in the text.

4. Spark a love of reading

When you think about your favorite childhood book, what comes to mind? You may see a sparkling fish with rainbow colors or a tree that gives everything in the name of selfless affection. Maybe you see your favorite characters or other-worldly settings. 

The illustrations of a picture book can be enchanting, fun, and inspiring. They can tell a story of their own. Many of us remember picture books as the books that made us first fall in love with reading.

One key ingredient of picture books that we shouldn’t discount is the benefit of pictures in sparking joy and creating a fun and engaging reading experience for kids. Picture books do a better job of holding the attention of kids learning to read than books without pictures. And reading picture books with kids on a regular basis (ideally daily) can help them self-monitor their behavior until they can sit through a whole story and focus on the events. 

When kids enjoy particular books or stories, they may ask to read the same book again and again. This is a good sign that this book sparks interest and intrigue for a young reader. Let kids choose the stories they love, read them often, and offer options to explore new books as well.  

5. Boost social-emotional learning

The subject matter in picture books can introduce social cues and cultural differences that encourage social-emotional development. Books that model social behaviors help hone social language skills and reinforce positive behavior. 

In the book The Name Jar, a young Korean girl living in America is teased about her name, Unhei. A passage from the book reads, “She was relieved that the kids on the bus had gone to other rooms, but her face still felt red.” Marked by this bullying, she decides to search for a different name. Throughout the story her classmates and family show gentle kindness, support, and encouragement for Unhei until she is ready to introduce herself and her culture, as Unhei, to the rest of her classmates. 

The Name Jar offers a chance for kids to practice empathy for Unhei and observe the outcome of kind, encouraging behavior compared to the negative effects of bullying. 

Picture books also explore difficult subjects like fear, grief, taking risks, building friendships, self-control, and so much more. These books offer outlets for kids to explore challenging subjects in a format that’s approachable to them. 

The illustrations in a book can help kids relate to the characters and setting portrayed. Picture books featuring protagonists of different identities, races, cultures, and abilities allow kids to relate to the texts where they see their own image reflected back. Furthermore, #ownvoices books written from the perspective of an author who shares a certain identity can provide an experience that’s profoundly relatable to kids’ differing experiences. 

For example, Grace for President, allows young girls of color see themselves as future leaders in positions of power. 

18 Best Children’s Book Illustration Styles and Mediums

Virtually every children's book requires illustrations. Before you even decide on an illustrator for your book (or, if you are an illustrator, before you decide what book you are going to draw) you need to decide on an illustration style.

What is an illustration style? It is the type of artwork that you will use in your children's book, and there are many types.

Additionally, there are also different types of mediums, used to create art, which can be used in a variety of styles, but all have a flavor of their own.

1. Why illustration styles are important
2. The top illustration styles to use
3. The top illustration mediums to use
4. How to find a good designer in your chosen style

In this article, you will learn:

Let's dive in, shall we?

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The Importance of Children's Book Illustrations

When it comes right down to it, there are five basic components of a children's book:

While all five of these are incredibly important, one could argue that illustration is the single biggest element, as it is the most attention grabbing, it sets the tone for the book, and requires the most amount of work.

That is why it is not only important to have a talented designer, but you also want to know what their unique style is. Depending on the subject and tone of your book, one style might be more appropriate than another.

With that in mind, let's take a look at the best illustration styles in children's books these days.

The Top 10 Illustration Styles

While style is something that changes frequently with every decade, here are 10 unique styles that you will find today.

1. Cartoonish Illustration Style

From Peter Pan, Illustrated by Alejandro Mesa

A cartoon -like style is possibly the most common illustration style, as it is colorful and engaging for children.

This isn't just using bright colors and Disney-like people, but can also involve anthropomorphizing animals with human features, exaggerating reality a little bit, etc.

2. Realistic Illustration Style

From The Undefeated, Illustrated by Kadir Nelson

While there are a few children's books that use photographs, a picture-perfect illustration style is not very common.

However, there are a few illustrators that specialize in a more realistic style, sometimes mixed with a few other styles to create something unique.

The example above is the perfect embodiment of this realistic, yet stylized approach.

3. Wondrous Illustration Styles

From Where Are You Beloved Lions, Illustrated by Marta Koshulinska

Sometimes called fantasy or whimsical illustration, this illustration style tends to lean more on the fantastical and less on reality. It tends to be a lot more fun and dreamy, inspiring the imagination.

4. Line Drawing Illustration Styles

From Baby Shark Coloring Book, from Crayola

While not common in most regular children's books, a children's book that doubles as a coloring book almost always has a line-drawn style.

This is a style using only simple lines, with little to no shading, to express the ideas in the book.

5. Sketch Illustration Style

From the Chronicles of Narnia, Illustrated by Pauline Baynes

Similar but different from line drawings, a sketch drawing is usually a children's book made up of one color (usually black), but adds a little more detail.

These type of sketch drawings were a lot more common in older books, such as Alice in Wonderland, or the Chronicles of Narnia.

6. Abstract Illustration Style

From the Wizard of Oz Illustrated by Goncalo Viana

Abstract art tends to be a lot more exaggerated and stylized, but in a specific artistic direction.

This is one of the more difficult styles to define, but it is also one that you know when you see it.

7. Stylized and Exaggerated Illustration Style

From Oh the Places You'll Go, Illustrated by Dr. Seuss

Similar but not necessarily the same as abstract art, stylized illustration styles tend to exaggerate real-world features and create aspects of the illustration that are larger-than-life, drawing attention to the focus of the book.

8. Vintage Illustration Styles

From Jamberry, Illustrated by Bruce Degen

Vintage children's books are still highly beloved today, so it is no wonder that older styles of art are still relevant.

Vintage styles tend to be a little bit more subdued, often created with pencil, and evoke a simpler time.

9. Bold and Bright Illustration Styles

From There's a Hole in My Galaxy, Illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat

These bold or bright illustration styles make a statement. They tend to zero in on bright colors, large, powerful characters, and more.

These styles are great for creating a feeling of liveliness and activity.

10. Muted or Subdued Illustration Styles

From the Sad Sad Bunny, Illustrated by Marta E. Rivera

In contrast to the bold and bright illustrations, these muted illustrations are perfect for a more serious type of children's book.

Using muted colors and subdued imagery, you can easily create a mournful, emotional atmosphere.

The Top Eight Illustration Mediums

In addition to the different styles, there are different mediums to create children's book art, some of which are so distinct they create styles of their own:

1. Watercolor

From Cat Afraid of the Shadows, Illustrated by Xavier Collete

Watercolor is one of the most distinct mediums for illustration, as it almost creates its own style. When I was originally writing this post, I almost put watercolor into the styles section, because it is so unique.

However, watercolor is more of a medium, and it can be combined with other mediums such as pencil and acrylic paints.

It's beautiful subdued and gentle colors are often perfect for children's books.

2. Acrylic

From Sailing the Southern Seas, Illustrated by Maru Godas

When creating physical art, acrylic paint is one of the most common ways to design. It is a relatively clean way to paint, doesn't need long to dry, and can create beautiful and vivid imagery.

3. Pencil Art

From Silent Days, Silent Dreams, Illustrated by Allen Say

Believe it or not, the use of black and colored pencils in children's book illustrations is quite common. A lot of older children's books especially, used pencils in a lot of their designs.

Pencils are cheap, they can record a lot of detail, and are a great tool for children's book illustrators in general.

4. Charcoal

From Klokkerens Evangelie, Illustrated by Gaute Heivoll

For a beautiful and distinct style, try using charcoal.

Charcoal is great for creating bold shadows and illustrations that pop off the page. Children's books that use a heavy amount of charcoal rarely have much color, but they can still be incredibly striking in their style.

5. Collage

From Up, Illustrated by Ashley Barron

A lot of children's books take a collage approach, where your illustration looks like it has been pieced together from various materials like a scrapbook.

This is another medium that creates a unique-looking style, and is commonly used.

6. Multimedia

From Nobody Loves Me, Illustrated by Liza Tretyakova

Who says that you have to have one medium? There are many books that use a combination of all of these techniques, whether it be digital art and watercolor, watercolor and pencil, charcoal and acrylic, or whatever you want.

7. Digital Painting

From Sulwe, Illustrated by Vashti Harrison

For books produced today, digital art is possibly the most common way to create children's book illustrations.

There are multiple types of digital illustration (I'll talk about another one below), but the most common are hand-drawn illustrations using something like a digital tablet.

The best thing about digital painting is that it can be adapted to almost any other type of style, and you can mimic most other mediums as well.

8. Vector Illustrations

From Wonder Tales, Illustrated by David Figueriras

Vector illustrations are a specific type of digital illustration that typically takes on a flat, 3D look.

Vector illustrations are the type that maintain their resolution no matter how large your file. This means that you can expand the size of your illustration to virtually any size, and it will still have an amazing, crisp edge.

Vector illustrations are most commonly created in Adobe Illustrator.

What Makes a Good Illustration in a Children's Book?

As with all art, the answer to this question is somewhat subjective. However, I believe there are a few attributes that you should try to embody:

1. They should be visually appealing: you want to create something that will look good on a bookshelf and that will engage the child's mind when they read it.
2. They should be memorable: there is a reason why the illustrations of Dr. Seuss novels are so iconic today, because they are unique and definitely memorable
3. The illustrations should tell a story: children's books are not just about art, they are about storytelling. In addition to the actual writing, the images themselves should tell the story. A child should be able to look at the illustrations alone, and have an idea of what is happening.

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Other Considerations in Your Style

In addition to everything I've mentioned, there are a few other considerations you should make when selecting your illustrator and illustration style.

• Audience Understanding: Start by knowing your audience and their age range. The age of your readers will impact everything from language to plot and illustration style.
• Quality Illustrations: Never compromise on the quality of illustrations. These visuals bring your story to life and can be the difference between a child picking up your book or leaving it on the shelf.
• Embrace Variety: Avoid monotonous illustrations with the same angles and compositions. Different perspectives keep the book engaging and help in visual storytelling. That said, make sure the style remains consistent throughout.
• Illustration-Text Harmony: Make sure that illustrations and text work together. They should not be seen as separate entities but as elements that complement and enhance each other.
• Respect for Illustrator's Expertise: While it's tempting to micromanage every detail, it's essential to trust your illustrator's professional judgment. Provide clear instructions and allow them to interpret your narrative with their visual expertise. Collaboration is key in this process.

Where to Find Children's Book Illustrators

In the age of the Internet, most children's book illustrators can be found freelancing online. Some of the best places to find these people include:

Additionally, if you have a children's book that you like, look at the artist. If they have a website, see if they are willing to work with you. You never know what might happen.

You might also find Facebook groups of children's book illustrators or authors, and can get recommendations there.

If you are an illustrator, or have found one who is willing to work with you, be sure to check out the other articles about how to write a children's book, and how to publish a children's book.

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