Get the Picture??

Day two of what makes a picture book special to me.  In addition to being simple, I think the best picture books have a big message.  Yes, they seem to contradict each other.  How can a book be simple and have a life-changing message?  Well, that is what makes them amazing!

Mirror tells the simple story, through pictures only, of a girl who dances with her reflection in the mirror.  However, she also learns the consequences of reacting too quickly.  Something for us all to reflect upon, no pun intended, of course.

Another book I picked up earlier this week demonstrates just how beautifully a picture book can leave us all pondering big questions.  This was a new book for me so I was happy to add it to my collection.  Hopper and Wilson by Maria Van Lieshout, says it best on the book jacket.  "A touching and playful tale about friendship and what makes home feel like home..."

In this story, Hopper, a blue elephant, and Wilson, a little yellow mouse, decide to set sail in a newspaper hat in search of their biggest wishes in life...an endless supply of lemonade and a staircase to the moon. Along the way, a storm comes and Hopper is thrown from the "boat."  Wilson asks the turtles, the penguins, and a whale if they have seen his friend.  "Hopper is not good at being alone, you see..." he explains to the "giant fish."  But no one has seen his friend.

Big lesson?  Yep!  Sometimes you need to go out looking for what you want in life, sometimes it takes a journey to realize that you already had what you want.  All of that told through simple drawings and a few words.  Almost all of my favorite picture books have some kind of lesson to learn, message to the audience, etc.  I am constantly amazed at what I have learned from picture books!

And, If you have followed this blog, or know me, you will know exactly why I love this book.  I love big messages.