There are stories here and there that I remember had an impact on the way my kids began to see time and space. Some were picture books that took us to a specific location and gradually, naturally brought us on a journey through time at that very spot. Others showed the process and effect of things, bit by bit. Others still showed what was happening for one group while another group was doing something entirely different. These books stretched our minds in interesting ways and gave us perspective.
I’m highlighting a few that were our favourites …
The Goodnight Circle by Carolyn Lesser was one we often read when we were sleeping over at my parents’ house when the kids were younger. It is a lovely bedtime story. They understood the concepts of animals being nocturnal and diurnal but this story really brought us more deeply into the idea that while something is happening in one place, something else is happening in another. We followed several sets of animals and their babies, some just waking up, while others were going to sleep.
The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton was a book we borrowed from the library and first and foremost, I was intrigued by the way it told the story of a little house in the country that becomes surrounded by other buildings and infrastructure over time. Eventually, it becomes surrounded by so much that it is no longer a house in the country, village or town – it’s a house in the city. This was an interesting look at how communities develop over time and it led to us frequently noticing older farmhouses or just generally older houses in the midst of streets lined with houses and imagining what its view might have been like before.
Beaver Pond, Moose Pond by Jim Arnosky is a simple picture book that highlights the perspectives the different animals have about the same place. Of course, the beaver thinks of it as his pond and the moose thinks of it as his pond. I think we enjoyed most Jim Arnosky books:).
Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears by Verna Aardema was a childhood book of mine. It’s still at my childhood house, I believe. This is such an engaging story about the way that news travels from person to person (or personified animal to animal) over time and the confusion (and in this case, tragic event) that can result.
The Goodnight Circle – Carolyn Lesser, Illustrated by Lorinda Bryan Cauley
The Little House – Virginia Lee Burton
The Digger and the Flower – Joseph Keufler
Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears – Verna Aardema, pictures by Leo and Dianne Dillon
Harold and the Purple Crayon – Crockett Johnson
Beaver Pond, Moose Pond – Jim Arnosky
At This Very Moment – Jim Arnosky
Follow the Line – Laura Ljungkvist
It Starts with a Seed – Laura Knowles, Pictures by Jennie Webber
Mike Mulligan’s Steam Shovel – Virginia Lee Burton
The Little Island-Margaret Wise Brown, Leonard Weisgard
Town is by the Sea – Joanne Schwartz, Illustrations by Sydney Smith
Do you have any picture books to suggest that were impactful in the way you or your children thought about things?
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