DaddyTales

A preschooler loves using his or her imagination and brainpower. Here are ideas for you and your youngster to stimulate them through reading picture books.

Each numbered item is a different post of what I’ve written up to now. 

44. The themes of picture books. There are a lot of picture books that have the same theme, such as farm life, the ocean, or dinosaurs. When your child has an interest in any particular subject, or even if she doesn’t, look for books with the same topic both non-fiction and fiction.

For one thing, this is just plain fun for you both. Digging into, so to speak, a specific area allows your child to see how different writers view the same thing. She also can get some new ideas about a subject along the way.

Secondly, she can see that the same topic can be described in different ways. This helps her develop her vocabulary. The ability to use various words deepens her understanding of the meanings of the words and gives her more options in communication.

And third, you can plan theme-related activities to further her understanding of what the books have discussed. These can include visits to parks or museums, and even doing small craft or drawing projects at home.

These methods encourage her vocabulary and language development that double-back to support her ability to read. And they will help her enjoy the experience of reading all the more.

43. Some details in picture books. More often than not, as you read a picture book with your child, you focus on the main action. But there’s more to a picture book than just that. Most probably, the artist has created little details to enhance his or her pictures. And those are worth pointing out.

For example, if you’re reading a story about people in another country, maybe there are colorful quilts or blankets on their beds. You can pause to examine this detail and ask your child if any of those look familiar to him. You can look at the woven pattern and its creativity.

Or if you’re reading a book about ancient people, look at what the artist has hanging on the walls. Are there tools, weapons, animal hides, or cooking utensils? And how do those compare to what’s hanging on the walls in your home?

So, because of these kinds of details in the pictures, you can get into some brief and interesting side conversations about lifestyle and living conditions. These can help your child deepen his understanding of other people and cultures. And that’s a good thing in today’s world.

42. The plot in picture books. Picture books with an actual story contain a plot line. The main character goes from point A to point B or maybe even point C. His or her actions carry the story along to a determined finish. In many cases, the plot is what keeps a child’s attention, as she wants to see what happens next.

It’s precisely this aspect you can emphasize. Every so often at a crucial spot in the action, stop reading and say, “Oh. What do you think will happen next?” Then you can briefly discuss with your child the various ideas as to where the action might take the character. And then you can say, “Well, let’s see,” turn the page, and continue reading. The Little Red Hen book is an excellent example for this exercise.

This process does a couple of things. It helps your child pay attention to what’s going on with the characters and the implications of what they’re doing. This can increase her discernment and understanding. It also stimulates her creativity by trying to devise her own story line.

This specific approach to action picture books can be some of the most fun times of reading with your child. What happens next in the plot is a question that not only stretches her brain, but it can get you into some interesting conversations about human interaction and communication that might otherwise be difficult to do in your daily life.

41. The humor in picture books. As you know, today there are all kinds of stories in picture books. Many are serious, while others are just plain funny and fun to read. And in many cases, even the humorous ones have a message helped along by the “spoonful of sugar.”

So every so often, choose humorous books to read to balance out the serious ones. This helps your child see that there are a variety of reading materials available to him, just as there are for adults.

Also, as you read, laugh along the way according to the humorous writing or the funny situations the characters find themselves in. This elevates the mood in your reading, and it helps your child know it’s OK to chuckle about the action. A good question to ask at the end is, “What is the funniest thing in this picture book?” This can lead you to conversations about what makes it funny and how the main character lives in the situation.

You’ll find that the humorous picture books can bring a lot of enjoyment for you both. And this will have long-term positive effects for your child’s approach to and love of books.

40. The various countries in picture books. Just a quick scan of the picture books in the children’s section of your public library will show you the wide range of subject matter. In one way or another, children’s literature covers practically every topic. So selecting interesting and educational material for your child is an easy project.

One educational area is the various countries of the world. Look for books that describe the people, culture, and geography of a specific country in another part of the world. Your local children’s librarian can be a great help with this. One way to start is to find a book on a country that’s in the news.

Over time, vary the country you “visit” in your reading. With an older child, look up the country on a world map and show where it is in relation to where you are. You can also create a wall map and put a pin in a country you’ve read about.

Done often enough through the preschool years, your child will have a better understanding of the world and its various divisions into countries. This will develop her global sensitivity and help her later on in elementary school.

39. The different families in picture books. Often, one of the reasons we adults read a book is to take us to places and people while not even leaving our homes. We can learn so much about others, their families, and their home lives.

The same is true for your child. With a careful selection of picture books, you can find ones to read with your child showing families of other cultures around the world. This can accomplish several things for him.

One is that he gets to know the wide variation of living standards. This can include how families work together and survive. In our ever-growing global situation, the more he can understand others in the world, the better. For another thing, he also gets to see how children his age cope with being children in the situations they find themselves.

These topics can lead you to ask about what is different and what is the same with the families he’s reading about and his own family or ones he knows about. And maybe why that is. Also you can point out how a child’s culture greatly determines how his family is structured. And this understanding will help your child develop a deeper appreciation of the diversity of families.

38. The weather in picture books. Many times it’s helpful to point out different aspects of a picture book. The weather is one of those. In many cases, it can be the determinant of the action or the context for what the characters do.

The weather can be bad, such as a tornado, a hurricane, or a heavy snowstorm. Or it can be milder, such as freezing cold or a bright sunny day. All these can drive the story line and what eventually happens to the main character(s).

Or perhaps the author’s point is not necessarily what the weather is like, but it’s just a sidelight to the action. For example, there’s a big difference between the weather in the South as opposed to Alaska. And the climate in those two situations may not determine what the characters do, but is an interesting aspect to the stories.

Once you’ve pointed out the weather, you might take the time to explain what a tornado is. This allows your child to learn more about other people’s living conditions, as well as to increase her weather vocabulary.

37. The clothing in picture books. Every picture book is different in style, substance, and content matter. One book may be about a farm family, another could be about a child in the city, and another will be about a loner in Alaska. In each case, though, the books’ illustrators usually attempt to depict the characters in authentic clothing.

A good practice is to point out what each person is wearing. Perhaps it’s a parka, and your child has never heard of one. Or the person is wearing a sweater vest, and she’s never seen one at her age. These give you opportunities to talk about the various ways people dress and have dressed around the world, plus the names of certain pieces of clothing.

You can also ask why that piece is important to the character. If the weather is cold and rainy, then a big coat is necessary. If it is hot and humid, the character will be wearing something else. If she doesn’t know about the clothing item because the story takes place in a foreign country, you can explain a little about the item and its history.

A character’s clothing is important because it often gives hints to the story’s plot, as well as reflecting the time, place, and culture of the story’s setting. Also, pointing out what the characters are wearing has another benefit for your child­—it helps her develop her observational skills.

36. The fables in picture books. With even a brief look at the children’s section at your local bookstore, you can see that picture books contain all kinds of subjects. Fables are one of them. And this is a topic I heartily suggest you look into buying or borrowing to read to your kids.

Fables are basically those age-old stories told by many generations before you. They contain essential truths about life and relationships. Aesop’s fables come to mind, although there are so many others. One of my favorites, for example, is the race between the turtle and the hare.

The interesting thing is that you’ll also enjoy reading fables with your child. Not only will you have the joy of revisiting them, but you may see new angles of truth based on your adult vision of them. So you’ll have a mutual enjoyment in the reading. Another positive thing, I believe, is you can more easily relate your child’s experience to a fable. For example, later when she has a difficult task, you might say, “Remember the turtle: slow and steady wins the race.”

Plus, after a reading, you can get into interesting conversations about the meaning of a particular fable. And those can be helpful in building a strong father-child relationship.

35. The science in picture books. There are so many picture books that it’s not possible to own every one of them. This is why your local library’s children’s section is a great resource for you, especially the children’s librarian.

There are, in fact, picture books about subjects you wouldn’t even suspect. However, when you’re faced with all the children’s books in the library, it’s tough to know where to find the books. This is why asking the children’s librarian is a good idea when you’re looking for a certain topic. Get to know him or her when you have the chance.

One kind of book to ask about is a non-fiction one on a science-related subject. I’m not talking about astrophysics or black holes necessarily, but everyday topics such as fire, clouds, water, volcanoes, the human body, or even how trains work. The key is to go with your child’s interest. Say there’s a volcano in the news and he asks about it. Get out a picture book on it. Or maybe he’s interested in horses. A book about real horses will excite his interest and imagination.

Not only are you helping him learn about a real-life subject, but you’re also teaching him that you both can research and discuss more about it. And those are basic skills having a lasting effect.

34. The courage of the book’s character. Picture books nowadays cover a lot of territory of subjects. This is really no different than books for adults. And, just like adults, children enjoy reading about the trials or adventures of people their age.

As part of your overall plan of buying and borrowing picture books or easy-reading books for your child, consider looking for ones whose main characters show courage. Perhaps one is about how a child saves an animal, survives a serious event, or faces some hardship to achieve a certain goal. Each of these requires a certain level of courage.

As you read along, or as you listen to your child read, stop at an appropriate point and say, “That takes a lot of courage to do that.” Depending on her age, this may be a new word or concept. If so, you can briefly explain what “courage” is and how important it is to daily living. If she knows what it means, your pointing it out helps her see the quality in the character she might have missed. If you have the time after your reading, you can discuss more about courage, what it means at her age, and how to strengthen it in herself.

I think you’ll agree that courage is one of the things you want your child to develop. But this is not something she’ll only need in the future. Believe it or not, it takes a lot of courage for her just to be a youngster. And reading age appropriate books with her on the subject will help you begin to teach this valuable trait.

33. The animals in picture books. Many picture books have animals of one kind or another. Some are incidental to the story, while others are the main characters. The fiction writers create animals that are quite human who talk and do things with one another. And non-fiction authors will show real life animals that are companions to humans or live in the forest. And, of course, there’s the Noah story with a whole slew of animals two-by-two.

When you encounter an animal, either on the book’s cover or inside the text, stop and point it out. “Here’s a duck that talks. I wonder what he’s going to say. Let’s find out.” “This monkey looks like he’s going to get into trouble. What’s he going to do?” Or even, “That dog looks like the one Grandpa and Grandma has, doesn’t it. I wonder if she will act the same way.” At the end of the story, you can ask, “Well, what do you think about what the cow did?” Or, “Did the cat really help the family?”

Most kids like animals, and they like looking at their pictures. So using their images as springboards for discussing a storyline is relatively easy to do. If you start off asking about what’s going to happen with an animal, your child can be be thinking about it and focusing on the subject all through the book. This helps him in developing comprehension, which is a valuable tool in the entire reading process.

32. Your child’s emotions while reading picture books. A lot of books will have conflicts, adventures, or difficult situations. The authors design the plot so a reader will have a roller-coaster experience. Your child will no doubt be drawn into those stories’ emotions.

When you sense this is happening to her, stop and ask what emotions she’s having at the time. It could be fright, frustration, happiness, or compassion for the main character. Of course, the older she is, the more she’s able to articulate what she’s feeling.

At the same time, you can share how the story strikes you. For example, you can say, “Yes, that’s a scary situation. I’m afraid he’s not going to get out of that one.”

This is a good way to help her recognize how literature can have an impact on her feelings. It raises her self-awareness. And it’s a good time of sharing for you both.

31. The talents in picture books. In practically every picture book, there’s a description of some sort of talent, either by an animal or a human. It may not be the central focus of the story, but it’s likely to be there. Look for it.

For example, an animal has a musical talent, a boy has an artist’s skill, or a girl has good athletic abilities. Other talents might be persistence, helpfulness, and intelligence. Look for all the talents or skills a character might have. Take the opportunity to point them out.

Each one can be a point of discussion. “Do you know anyone who’s a hard worker?” “Do you love to draw pictures?” Or “How did he get so smart, do you think?”

It’s important for your child to realize that everyone has talents. Those may be different than his, but that’s OK. They’re what make each person unique. He can then grow in appreciating others’ skills without denigrating his own. And that’s a good talent to learn.

30. Geographical areas in picture books. One of the best reasons for reading books is the ability to “visit” other places in the world without leaving your living room. It’s the same with children’s picture books.

The world is getting smaller every day. Events around the world have an effect more and more on our lives. So it’s very important for our children to learn as much as they can about all the areas of the world.

When you’re at the library picking out books for your child, look for ones about different regions, especially the oceans and continents. Some will have photographs. Those would be the best since they provide accurate pictures. They can lead you to ask questions about temperature, living conditions, and transportation issues.

So take every opportunity to “travel” with your child to other places and learn about those geographical areas. She’ll see there’s more to life than just her neighborhood or city. There’s a great big world out there.

29. Transportation in picture books. The basics of many stories has to do with getting from one place to another. Some characters walk through scary forests, past wily wolves or over snowy hills. Others travel by car, sled, truck, plane, train, bicycle, or an invention of their own.

You can easily overlook these travel methods. But if you point them out, you can have some conversations about the differences, say, between the car and the bicycle, which method your child would prefer in that situation, or whether one is more efficient than another.

This not only helps him learn more about the various ways of getting around but also to become familiar with the concept of compare and contrast. If he puts himself in the character’s shoes, what would he choose as a travel option and why? What would the benefit be, if any, if he chose another way? How would he compare any two methods?

Of course, you may not want to get into a long discussion of this since it may get you out of the story. But it’s something to point out, especially if it’s integral to the story line, and if the character is making choices about the travel methods. Over time, this helps him examine and evaluate a character’s behavior, which is one good “travel” method down the road to reading success.

28. The problem-solving in picture books. In many picture books the characters confront a problem they need to solve. The story unfolds describing how they went about doing it. Be sure not to skip mentioning this important aspect of a book.

As you go through the story, stop when the central character hits a problem. Ask your child what she thinks the problem is and how it affects the character. With an older child you can discuss whether you both think this is an important issue or not.

Then when the character considers his options, point them out. If possible, ask your child which option she thinks will best solve the problem. Then read on to see what the character does and how it all resolves for him.

Solving problems is a daily event for us all, including your child. Learning to consider and evaluate various options is crucial for the process. Reading picture books is a casual way to introduce problem-solving to your young child, and lets you refer back to the character (“Remember Maria’s problem we read about?”) in teaching this important life skill.

27. The picture book series. In some cases, the author and publisher of a picture book will have success with a character or theme. And they’ll decide to create some follow-ups, so a series is born. This, of course, mandates related dolls, games, puzzles, and the like, prominently displayed next to the books at the bookstore (sigh).

If you chance upon one of these series, you can use it to your advantage. Make sure you’ve read the first book in the series. Then, when you get the next one, you can ask, “Remember the other book we read? What do you remember about it?” This will let you see how your child’s memory is, and get you into an interesting conversation, or maybe not if he can’t recall anything.

Then you can say, “Let’s see what adventures the cows get into this time.” This gets your child into an anticipatory mode. Having read the initial book in the series will also help him have the back-story, and the current plot may make more sense.

At the end, you can ask, “So, do you like this story better than the first one?” This gets you into a basic level of artistic and literary criticism. It also helps you both look forward to the next possible book, as well as the whole fatherly series of reading picture books together.

26. Seasonal picture books. A major goal to have is making picture books relevant to your child’s life. Check your local library or bookstore for ones reflecting your family life.

For example, if it’s Spring where you are, get out books about growing things, birds making nests, and so on. The same goes for Winter, Summer, and Fall. If your family enjoys certain yearly rituals, religious or otherwise, look for books describing those. Reading them with your child at the time of those celebrations will deepen her understanding of them. Or if you’re planning a Winter trip to a warmer climate, a Fall journey to the mountains, or a Summer vacation to grandpa and grandma’s house, there are books dealing with those subjects.

This approach broadens your child’s knowledge and relates her reading to her life experiences. Reading them together will also help you discuss the ebb and flow of life that the seasons produce. And those can be some of your most fruitful conversations.

25. The quest in picture books. Many children’s stories describe a journey or a quest. For example, the main character has to get from point A to point B. He must go somewhere, obtain something, and bring it back. He’s given the task to deliver something valuable to someone. Or perhaps he’s lost something and must replace it, so he goes off in search of another one. In essence, the story is about the journey and the related problems. “Hansel and Gretel” and “Little Red Riding Hood” come to mind.

In fact, this is the storyline of many adult books. It’s what keeps us turning pages to see what happens to the main character and whether he solves the mystery, confronts the evil, lives through the difficulties, or makes sufficient personal growth. The story’s unfolding action is what captivates us.

It’s the same for your child. So if the book you’re reading with her has a quest or a journey, pause and point it out. Talk about what the “problem” is and how you hope the character can solve it. Then at the end, comment on the whole process. After a while of examining storylines in this way, she’ll be able to recognize a quest when she sees it and use her imagination about how the character will fair in it.

This will further aid your own quest of helping your child develop into a good reader.

24. The characters’ temperaments. Just a brief look at the people you see every day will show you that everyone is different. Some are shy, others are bright and bubbly, while still others are active and energetic. But not all shy people, say, are shy in the same way. This is because each person’s social and cultural upbringing molds his or her temperament.

The picture book characters will no doubt exhibit the same kind of inclinations. They’ll show everything from being lazy to active, or quiet to boisterous. Pointing out these temperaments as you go along helps your child see the differences in each one.

After a while of describing temperaments, he’ll learn the vocabulary to name them. You can extend your reading break by asking if he knows anyone who is shy or energetic, and even what he’d say about himself. This strengthens his observational skills into other people as well as himself. It also gives you an opportunity to share something about your temperament, letting him know you better as a person and a dad.

23. The action in picture books. All picture books are not the same. Some describe animals’ lives, while others depict imaginary people and places. And some have lots of action. Perhaps the action is about a sailboat on a rocky sea, a race for the gold, or the hard work of climbing mountains.

Often, the action is the main focus of the book. That is when you’ll modulate your voice and enthusiasm to reflect the story line. For example, “And then he raced down the road as fast as he could go,” almost demands a different vocal reading than, “She laid down and went to sleep.”

When you encounter any kind of action, ask your child if he’s had any similar experiences. Perhaps he knows about boat travel or races. Or he may be able to share how difficult it is to do what the pictures show.

Also choose books with action he likes, such as those dealing with trains, horses, or explorers. This way he’s more apt to develop an active interest in books.

22. The occupations in picture books. Many children’s picture books show people in various jobs. There’s Geppetto’s workshop, the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick-maker. There’s the tailor who killed 7 flies in one blow, or the seven dwarfs’ mining activities. “Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to work we go.”

Often the occupation gets overshadowed by the story itself. But pointing out the various ways people support themselves can lead to some interesting conversations, especially with older preschoolers or even young grade schoolers.

For example, you could stop and ask, “Do you know what a baker does? Do we know any bakery shops in town? What kind of job would that be, baking most of the day? If you could bake anything, what would it be?” Just substitute the various occupations into the questions when the topic comes up.

The people in the stories really do work, even though it may be fiction. And most are real-life occupations. Pausing briefly to discuss them will help provide depth and breadth to your reading. And that won’t be any work in your part.

21. Time in picture books. Time plays an important part in most picture books. For example, many fairy tales begin with, “Once upon a time,” indicating the story occurred in the past. The closest they get to the present and future is, “And they lived happily ever after.” Also, there are stories about historical people and events, such as famous people as children and what their lives were like.

Present-time stories can discuss current events, or about what life is like for others in your child’s lifetime. Even a fantasy will have a present-day aspect, indicated by the pictures’ houses, clothing, or city skyline.

Future stories can be about robots, flying cars, or spaceships. They may show a character planning activities for some future event. Or they can describe what life might be like after moving from one house to another.

Your child eventually needs a good sense of time, which includes telling the difference between past, present, and future. Reading picture books and pointing out how time is a story element will help her develop these. In addition, the time you spend together reading and appreciating the books will be, well, timeless.

20. The food in picture books. Many picture books have food in them. It may not be the main part of the story, such as the bread the Little Red Hen wants to make. But more than likely, there’s something edible mentioned.

Food is another thing that attracts children, especially the ones they like. In many stories people are making a cake, cookies, or even a sandwich. In others, a family is picnicking, having a feast at a food-laden table, or eating a simple meal because they’re poor.

So even though it may not be a central theme, stop and ask your child about the food. “What is it?” “Which can you name in the picture?” “What kind of cookies do you like best?” “Do we have times of the year when we have a big feast just like this family?” “How would you feel if you only had rice to eat all year long?”

Sometimes he’ll become interested in cooking the food he sees. You can look up a recipe together, find the ingredients, and make it. If you do this often enough, you can start a recipe album of foods, complete with actual photos of you two cooking. This, then, becomes a picture book itself, one your child will treasure for years to come.

19. The races in picture books. As I mentioned in #18, there are a number of non-fiction picture books, or at least semi-non-fiction. Many of these tell the stories of children of different races and cultures.

Even though your child may not articulate it, she’s interested in other children and their lives. A non-fiction picture book is an excellent way to visit others around the world and satisfy her curiosity. As you select books at the library, look for those about children’s experiences in other countries.

But you don’t have to go far for a story about another race. There are plenty right in our country. In fact, this may be the most educational of all, letting your child know about the variety of races and cultures close by, often in your own town. Your friendly children’s librarian will be a great resource for you.

So among books about the bear family, include stories about a real family, one showing how another child lives. These books will introduce your child to children from different backgrounds. They’ll also help her expand her ideas about life and other people.

18. The fiction or non-fiction of picture books. The difference between fiction and non-fiction may be too much for your preschooler to learn at his age. But it’s something for you to keep in mind.

A story will either be one or the other. Even if a story begins with a real person, the introduction of a flying pig or a talking cow should be a tip-off to its true nature. You may find, though, that most picture books lean toward the fiction side of life. However, there are some that recount experiences of real children or of people small children are interested in.

A preschooler’s mind gravitates toward imaginative and fantasy thinking anyway. It’s difficult, for example, for your young child to tell the difference between truth and a lie. This is why when you catch him doing something “naughty,” he’ll say he never did it. Because of this, courts don’t, as a rule, admit the eyewitness testimony of children before grade school age.

The key is to look for the various stories when you’re at the library or the bookstore with an eye for exposing your child to the two basic kinds. It doesn’t matter at his age if he doesn’t understand the difference between truth and fiction. What matters is he enjoys being stimulated by a story. And that can be a valuable reality in his fictional world.

17. The words in picture books. The point here is to choose picture books suitable for your child’s age. For example, the younger your child, the less words you want a book to have.

The major reason is your child’s attention span. A young child has a short span. At first a book’s job isn’t necessarily to introduce words anyway. It’s to introduce books as a pleasurable pastime. So your initial focus won’t be on the actual words. Instead, the pictures will be the keys to your successful “reading.”

Later, your child will be able to concentrate longer. You can then select picture books with more words. This means when you read a book, you’ll be on each page and its picture longer. And, because your child can manage her attention, she won’t be in such a hurry to turn the pages. This will also allow you to show how the pictures and the words relate to one another.

As you sense her attention span lengthening, get books with more words and smaller pictures. This will no doubt be at the late preschool age. At which time you may find her seeking out books on her own and looking through them. And that picture will be worth a thousand words to you.

16. The environment in picture books. Every story has a setting. It could be realistic or fantasy, in a farmyard or in a galaxy far, far away. Often the story’s environment has a lot to do with the plot and its eventual outcome. In other books, it takes second place to the characters. But in all cases, there’s a setting that helps move the story along.

Your child may already know about a story’s environment. Maybe he’s been to a farm and has an idea what one looks like. Perhaps he’s been to a forest, the seashore, or a mountain. These won’t take much to identify with.

In others, he hasn’t been to Antarctica, the depths of Africa, or another planet. These are harder for him to visualize. So spend a little more time pointing out what the environmental conditions are and how they affect the people or animals in the story.

Observing a story’s context is an important step for understanding how a character responds to the storyline’s hills and valleys.

15. The sizes and shapes of picture books. Picture books come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Some are small board books, others are large fold-outs, and most are somewhere in-between. But that’s not what I’m referring to here.

As you read any book, observe the characters and the scenery. You’ll see a variety of shapes from teeny tiny to quite large. If the book is about an ant, you’ll probably use the word “small” a lot. If it’s about a dinosaur, you may often say “big.” Also, in other stories there are fat pigs as well as skinny caterpillars.

The storywriter may use these words, in which case you won’t have to add them. But in other books, you can make the comparisons as you look at the pictures with your child. After a while, use other words to describe the characters or scenery, such as huge, vast, wide, thin, thick, tall, high, deep, and low.

Pointing these out helps your child enlarge her vocabulary. Soon her ordinary speech will show an improvement that’s huge, vast, and deep.

14. The characters in picture books. I’ve talked earlier about the human characteristics in picture books. This time look at the “lives” of the characters.

First of all, is the story about animals? Are there human beings in it? Is the story about a talking train, a hungry caterpillar, or a baby dinosaur? Maybe it’s about a tree wanting to be a Christmas tree.

And secondly, look at what happens to the main character. In many stories, the character goes through some sort of process, whether a quest, a problem-solving, or a growing experience.

When reading a story with your child, it’s possible to focus only on what occurs on each page, and miss the overall flow of events. Looking at what eventually happens to the character will help your child view the story’s full process. He can then better learn to appreciate the gist of the story and the art of story-making.

13. The structures in picture books. Most stories have some sort of setting, either real or fantasy. As you read a picture book with your child, take time to notice the various buildings.

If a story is at a farm, point out the barn, silo, stable, farmhouse, chicken coop, or any other construction the farmer uses. These all come in various sizes and shapes. Which are bigger, smaller, thinner, higher, lower, older, or messier? What are they all used for? How are they best described? What other activities could they be used for?

Some stories are set in a castle. How do its rooms differ from the rooms in your house? How about those spires? Are there flags all around? Are the ceilings tall in some rooms, and short in others? What kind of windows does it have? Is there a dungeon? What interesting characteristics does it have?

By focusing on the structures of a picture book, you’re creating a foundation for your own story-telling later on. Your made-up story can actually begin by describing a building. For example, “Once upon a time there was a huge castle on the other side of the forest. A tall, grey, dreary castle with vines covering it all over, hiding the mystery inside.” Now who wouldn’t want to hear more about that mysterious castle and what was inside?

12. The ethics in picture books. Many books don’t fit this concept. They may deal only with listing the ABC’s, showing pictures of animals, or explaining scientific ideas. However, if you look deeper at the books with characters having human characteristics, you’ll see ethical dilemmas.

A good example is The Little Red Hen. Here you have a red hen with other farm animals. She finds seeds, plants them, raises them, and eventually makes bread. Her other animal friends don’t want to help her along the way. But when she wonders who will help her eat the bread, they all volunteer to do so.

Her relationships with them, the ethics of helping others, the egocentrisms of her friends, and the concept of working together to achieve something are subjects up for grabs. Picking one of these according to your child’s age and comprehension will no doubt spark your conversations. For example, you can ask, “What is the goose thinking here, do you think?” “Why don’t they want to help?” Or “How can they stand by and watch the Little Red Hen do all the work?”

The idea, of course, is to introduce the ethical dilemma and then let it go, instead of trying to beat it into your child’s head. After reading many books and gently pointing out any ethical aspects, you’re able to teach positive family and friend relationships.

11. The human characteristics in picture books. There are all kinds of people in the world with different sizes, shapes, and temperaments. Some are grouchy, others are kind and sweet. There are truly evil people whose only reason for being, it seems, is the destruction of someone else. And there are those who live to serve the welfare of others.

Most picture books base their stories on some aspect of the broad range of human characteristics. It doesn’t matter whether the actors are dinosaurs or hedgehogs, they’ll no doubt be doing something similar to humans. Aesop’s Fables are a good example of this.

As you read with your child, point out, where appropriate, how the characters are acting. Are they being nice, polite, and helpful? Are they being naughty, greedy, and uncooperative? Or somewhere in-between?

After a while of observing these, ask your child to say how a character is behaving. You’ll be surprised how much he understands human experiences. The idea is to help him expand his appreciation of the many nuances of human existence.

10. The movement in picture books. There’s some sort of movement in practically every picture book you pick up. The characters either run around, hop up and down, hike slowly through a snowy forest, or tackle the chores while others loaf. Often they do things they shouldn’t, delighting even the youngest child. The more picture books you read with your child, the more you’ll encounter all the possible movements the characters can make.

One way to read a picture book you’ve gone through a million times is to emphasize the action in it. Point out how the character runs, works, climbs, shrinks back, or goes on a quest. Picture book writers actually help you in this by using action verbs to describe the story line.

These actions, then, will require you to vary your voice accordingly. If your character is scared and running away from the dragon, make your reading sound like it. Or if your character gets tired and lies down to sleep, your yawning and snoring will properly reflect the story. In a way, the story’s movements dictate its sounds (see #8).

Movement is important to all stories, even adult ones. It’s part of what intrigues a child about a picture book. When you highlight how a character gets from point A to point B, you’ll move your child’s imagination into deeper areas of creativity.

9. The book character’s five senses. Each picture book you read will no doubt describe the senses of taste, touch, sight, smell, or sound. For example, a situation will be either too hot or too cold. The central figure may be smelly or emit rude sounds. The pie he’s eating may be delicious. She may see a starry sky or a wintry snowscape. Or the group may happily lounge in gooey mud or be caught in a briar patch.

At first reading, you may only want to emphasize a specific quality the character experiences. You can stop and ask your child, “Why didn’t she like that porridge?” You’re hoping for the response, “Because it was too hot.”  “Oh yes,” you can then reply, “Have you ever had hot soup before?” This can get you into a short conversation about taste or smell.

This will work for the outdoors as well. Perhaps the book character is looking through his window. “What is he seeing out there?” You can list the various things, or have your child examine the drawing for objects. Maybe the character hears something outside the door and doesn’t know what it is. “What could it be?” you can ask.

By discussing the five senses, your child learns that these are a part of storytelling and she gains experience talking about them. And this makes a lot of sense for you both.

8. The sound of books. Do you remember your teacher who droned on and on without changing tone, pitch, or volume? Pretty boring, huh? Well, remember this the next time you’re reading a picture book with your child.

Depending on what you’re reading, let your voice reflect the action. Is a boy shouting “Wolf”? Raise your voice a little. Is the lion roaring? Say it with a growl. Is the main character shy? Read with that emotion in mind. Is a giant asking where someone is? Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum with your deepest possible voice. Are the two playmates whispering to one another? Speak the words quietly. Is a tiny mouse frightened? Squeak her fear with a high voice. In a way, you’re the actor playing all the parts. Use the best inflections to convey the story line.

Varying your voice will not only make the story enjoyable for your child, but, believe it or not, you’ll also enjoy the experience more.

7. The colors in picture books. (Right about now, you’re probably asking me, “When are you going to get to the part of telling stories, or daddytales?” Well, I have been all along. I’m building to that. Please keep reading.) Each picture book illustrator uses a variety of colors you may miss in a speedy reading. So take the time to observe the colors along with the math in each book.

There’ll be something on each page to focus on. The bright yellow sun, the blue sky, the red balls, the purple dress, the green grass, or the orange house are all there. Depending on your child’s age, point them out. Or, after he’s learned the colors, ask, “Where do you see orange?” Each time you read the same book, emphasize a different color on each page. This not only helps him learn his colors but it sharpens his observational skills. He’ll also learn, for example, that many things can be blue, not just the sky.

By all means, keep the names simple, as in blue, pink, yellow, or the colors of the rainbow. This is not a time to get into all the variations, like mauve, lilac, or chartreuse. Those can come much later.

Colors are an essential part of all storytelling. So connecting the two as you read is basic for helping him visualize or describe the characters and the action. It’ll also stimulate his mind to recognize colors. As you know, life is not lived in black and white, but in bright living color. He’ll enjoy being introduced to the colors of his life in the picture books you share.

6. The math in picture books. There’s more than meets the eye in a picture book. By slowing down, looking closer at the book’s construction, its story line, the characters, and all the rest, you’ll find more opportunities to interact with your child. Math is one of those.

Now, of course, you’re not going to get into calculus with a toddler. But simple numbers are everywhere in a picture book, and introducing the idea of quantity is something you can do. This is all done without pressuring your child to learn to count or anything of the sort. Just make sure you do this casually and nonchalantly.

For example, in the beginning you can say, “Look. Here’s Mama duck and her ducklings. There are one, two, three, four, five of them.” Do this as you point your finger at each one. Then move on to the next page or subject matter. With an older child, say four or five years old, you can actually ask, “How many ducklings are there?” If you’ve been doing this technique for several years, she’s learned how to count to at least five (hopefully to ten) and will count the ducklings herself while pointing at each.

Also, look for books that deal directly or subtly with math. Ten Little Monkeys Jumping On The Bed, which is about subtraction, is an obvious one.

By mixing in a few books about math or looking for possible numbers in any book, you help your child learn very basic math concepts. You can count on it!

5. Talk about the book. Before you even open a new book up, look at the cover with your child. What kind of artwork is there? Review the title’s words. What does the title indicate the book is about? What does he think the book is about? Based on the cover picture, what might happen in the book? The idea is to have a little conversation about the book itself. This can get your child’s imaginational juices flowing and create a little anticipation about the story itself.

Turning to the first few pages, be sure to acknowledge the author (all writers want this) as well as the artist. You can talk about how one person writes the words, and another draws the pictures. Often, it’s the same person. This helps your child slowly come to realize that this is a work of art in more ways than one.

Then when you’re reading the story, stop every so often and ask questions not only about the story line, but also what he observes in the pictures. After you’ve read the book, ask him to review the action. What happened and when?

This process not only helps your child develop his observational skills but his conversational language skills as well. You’re helping him with his speaking, listening, and vocabulary growth. Of course, the younger your child is, the shorter these conversations must be. But as he grows older, you’ll see his oral language development improve.

4. Ask about feelings. This applies mainly to fiction picture books. As you’re reading The Little Red Hen, for example, stop at an appropriate time and ask, “How does the mother feel about that?” Or, “How did that make her feel?”

Questions such as these, even asked of young children, can start introducing the idea that story characters can have emotional reactions to what’s happening to them, even though the story may not bring those out. Depending on the point in the story, the two of you can come up with feelings such as anger, fear, joy, happiness, and the like, all in the same book.

Because your child will want to continue with the book, this is not the time to go into a further discussion of feelings. The idea is to briefly touch on the possible emotions involved and then read on.

The older a child is, the more sophisticated she’ll be in understanding how a story character may be reacting. This will help when you and she make up stories of your own and she can fill in the emotions of the characters. This can also help her in learning empathy, a valuable social trait in growing up.

3. Choose pictures books of different genres. When you look closer at all the picture books out there, old and new, you’ll see a variety of different topics. For example, there are non-fiction books about science, people, nature, cultures, and various forms of transportation, among others. All sorts of fiction books are available about everything imaginable, from dinosaurs to princesses. You can find books of poetry for children, Dr Seuss comes to mind. The traditional fairy tales and folk stories are also well represented. And many more. So, as you pick out picture books to read with your child, seek to vary the subject matter as time goes on. This will expose him to the different topics and writing styles.

What this does is help him develop a story vocabulary he can use in creative storytelling. In a large way, this is just as important as developing a word vocabulary. He uses the words to communicate with, and the stories he absorbs feed his mind with structural concepts he can draw on for later imaginative play.

Why is this important to you? A strong imagination is the foundation for creative thinking. It can help a child later devise a variety of options for solving problems, make reasonable compromises, and see things and people from different perspectives. These are qualities you want him to develop in the long run. It all starts quite early in the preschool years, and picture books are a pleasant way to begin learning these needed basic principles.

What can you do today, no matter how small, to stimulate your child’s imagination?

2. Establish the joy of stories. A recent article reports that some parents are skipping picture books in favor of chapter books. Their reasoning is that this will help their kids learn to read sooner and thus do better on school tests. This is a naïve, shortsighted, and misguided notion, especially for preschool children or even kindergarteners.

The love of reading must come from within, not forced from outside. This begins with early, interesting, and imaginative storytelling. Picture books are a solid aid to that experience. Enjoying their stories and illustrations provide your child with the foundation for a good attitude toward books in the first place, plus wanting to hear more. This is coupled with the “warm fuzzy” he or she gets while being close with you. And this is especially important for boys, who discover early on that, because their fathers read to them, it is indeed manly to read books.

So, in a way, it doesn’t matter too much what picture books you use (although at first it may be helpful to pick out ones of interest to your child), the important issue is to help your child enjoy the experience of storytelling. So snuggle in, have fun, enjoy the pictures and the words, take your time, and encourage your child’s imagination. By doing so, you’ll be helping your child establish a life-long interest in reading, which is the quality you want that goes beyond mere testing.

1. First establish the concept of storytelling between the two of you using picture books. This doesn’t have to be expensive. You can get them at used book sales, thrift shops, or free from your local library. A children’s librarian will help you there. The idea is for your child to feel comfortable with physically handling a book.

By experimenting, you’ll also discover what kinds of scenarios he likes, whether it’s with animals, dinosaurs, other children, or princes and princesses. Then with a preschooler, when you read a story, be sure to stop every so often to ask, “And what will happen next?”, “Who will he meet?”, “What animal will be around that corner?”, “What do you think he will say?” or any other question related to the story. Wait for his answer and then respond to it. For example, if he says, “They will get lost,” you might reply, “Hmm. Well, let’s see.” This method will focus his imaginative mind on the story and the actors. Varying the questions each time you read the same story will increase his ability to come up with different characters, situations, or nuances in the plot lines.

Be sure when you’re reading a book to take your time. Asking questions along the way will help you slow down and focus on the story and your child’s imagination. Start with the front cover. Look at the picture and ask your child what he thinks the story may be about. Too often dads tend to rush through a book, missing the chances to interact with a child.

For a youngster, reading a book isn’t only about the story but about snuggling with dad. This intimacy along with feeling comfortable with a book will last a lifetime. And these are worth more than you can imagine to your child and to you.