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In my last post, I mentioned how interesting it was to me that my son – who recently turned one – has already developed strong preferences for particular books. He’ll request the same one over and over for days, and then discover a new one that holds his attention just as raptly. Watching him discover new stories that he really enjoys has made me think about the aspects of stories that we all, young and old alike, tend to appreciate.
Two of the characteristics of stories that are most important to us as readers or audience members may seem contradictory: we like surprises, but we also like predictability. The broad strokes of stories are almost always pretty predictable – there are really only a handful of plots out there (different writers will argue that there are 1, 7, 9, 20…), and most of the books, movies, and television shows we digest find innovative ways to recycle these same big ideas. The innovation is important, though, because that’s where the element of surprise comes in. When a story that follows the same narrative arc as usual (after some bumps in the road, a couple gets together; someone triumphs over adversity or combats the natural environment or accumulates wealth) but does so in a way that is unexpected, our desire for novelty – while still being able to say “I knew it!” – is satiated.
Children also value these same elements in books, even from a young age. Certainly chapter books and young adult books fully explore these themes, often more honestly and baldly than adult literature, but it can be more difficult to flesh out a full plot in a picture book, much less a board book. And board books are the majority of what we read these days, as Henry’s excitement to turn the pages and explore books himself means that the books we read need to be durable.
There are plenty of fabulous board books out there, though, and Henry’s favorites are ones that give him opportunities to anticipate something unexpected happening – predictability and novelty all at the same time. Some examples:
- The book Freight Train by Donald Crews includes simple, colorful illustrations of a freight train traveling through different locations at different times of day, with the colors blurring as it speeds up and passes through different environments. The book ends with the phrase …“going, going, gone!” and the train disappears from view as the reader turns the final page. As we read the words “going, going…,” Henry’s eyes widen and he begins to smile broadly, because he knows what is coming next and it tickles his relatively new understanding of object permanence. He is always satisfied when we reach the last page, because the ending is familiar, yet still surprising at the same time.
...going, going...gone!Source: Jamie Zibulsky - The book Everywhere Babies by Susan Meyers follows a singsong cadence that makes it easy for children to remember and also includes great illustrations of children engaging in their everyday activities of eating, playing, and growing. One page talks about babies learning to clap – which is one of Henry’s favorite things to do – and he often gets his hands ready to demonstrate this great skill on the page before the clapping happens, because he is so excited to show off his new talent.
- Llama Llama Hoppity Hop by Anna Dewdney ends with a great opportunity for parents and children to snuggle together (with the words, “Llama Llama Red Pajama, big hug now!”) and, again, Henry begins to anticipate this hug on the page before it happens, scrunching himself up on the couch and preparing to get cuddled. He loves knowing that the hug is coming, and also loves that the ending of this book is so different than most books, which don’t offer this type of opportunity to interact.
- He also loves when we create our own opportunities to snuggle during book time and create silly rituals that accompany story time. For example, in the book Diggers Go (from a fabulous series of books about different vehicles by Steve Light), each page includes a picture of a different construction vehicle and is accompanied by text describing what sound it makes. One day, I was in a goofy mood, and tickled and kissed Henry all over as I read the sound that the jackhammer makes (“grrrakkakkakkakkakkakkakk”). It cracked him up, and he now looks forward to the snuggle attack each time we read the book, anticipating it a page in advance.
Watching Henry during reading time has helped me recognize how stories like these help make reading time special for children. The unexpected elements of stories (like a train disappearing) become fun because reading together provides an opportunity to explore the unknown and make it more predictable. Each time we read together, Henry gets the chance to feel competent by doing things like showing off his clapping and also gets lots of love and attention. When we read independently as adults, the majority of the gratification we get comes from the story itself or our own reflection, but kids need more extrinsic support during reading time. Luckily, it is often a pleasure to provide…but I’ll post again soon about what to do when that is not the case!
