The Power of Picture Books: Benefits and Why They’re Important for Early Education

Learn what picture books are, why they’re important for childhood learning, and how they provide educational and emotional benefits for kids.

As children, our favorite books are often the ones that captivate us with bright colors, charming characters, and boundless creativity. When kids see stories come to life on the page, it opens up a whole new chapter of their imagination. That’s why picture books are so important for young readers.

Reading picture books is an incredible way to engage children in discovery and learning. They have countless benefits that will encourage young readers of all ages to read and see what stories are truly made of.

Discover what picture books are, what makes them different, what benefits they have, and where to find free stories below.

What is a picture book?

Picture books for children are books where the pictures are as important as the words. They can also be books that are only made up of pictures. Stories like these offer children a visual experience that helps them see and understand what’s happening.

Picture books for toddlers can include wordless stories, and picture books for teens could be graphic novels. No matter their age or the type of book, picture books are a great way to engage young readers.

What’s the difference between a picture book and an illustrated book?

While a picture book uses illustrations as the main component of storytelling, an illustrated book uses visuals to support the words, which are the main way the story is being told.

What are the benefits of picture books for kids?

Developing critical skills in kids

Picture books are a great way to introduce preschool- and kindergarten-age children to reading. When they start reading early, kids develop many critical development skills. These include language-building, comprehension, and communication. For example, illustrations can help connect ideas and words with their meanings. This encourages vocabulary-building and reading comprehension.

Reading comprehension

Picture books help children grow their ability to understand stories and identify sequences. Seeing the story come alive and watching as characters move across the pages shows the beginning, middle, and end of a book. As young readers watch this happen, they can understand how things happen and explore why.

“There’s no one way of unlocking reading because every learner is different and gets excited for different things. When you started to see more graphic novels, parents asked, is it okay if they read comic books? Absolutely. Whatever they want to read. It’s a way to grow as a person.”

Ann Hagaman, Adult Literacy Teacher at Crete Public Schools

Children’s social-emotional growth

Picture books also grow their social-emotional abilities. Seeing how characters feel and experience events and emotions through pictures promotes healthy emotional growth. Promoting emotional intelligence sets children up for success throughout life.

Creativity and imagination

Creativity and imagination are also built through picture books. Bright colors and exciting imagery keep children engaged and curious, encouraging them to dream big and think of their own stories.

Parent-child bonding

Parent-child bonding can be another positive outcome of picture books. Reading picture books together is a form of quality time that develops both parents’ relationships with their kids and their children’s connection with books. Sitting and reading a wordless picture book, for example, allows caregivers to become active storytellers, feeding young readers’ growth and allowing them to explore the story with their own imaginations.

Where to find free picture books

Finding free picture books to keep your children engaged can be difficult, but it’s easy with our BookSmart app. BookSmart is a free digital library that you can access on any device and contains thousands of stories to explore.

Explore hundreds of picture books with beautiful illustrations and engaging characters sure to excite a wide range of readers. Start reading together with your child on BookSmart.

---

Want to learn more about reading? Sign up for our newsletter!