Yesterday, I wrote about how author studies can be used to incorporate picture books and early readers into all classrooms. This allows late-emerging readers an entry point into reading and combats the decline in reading enjoyment and frequency among middle-school and high-school students.

From the Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report:

The Virginia Standards of Learning for English emphasizes that students should be reading and analyzing “grade-level complex text.” Students who cannot or will not read so-called “grade-level” books should not be left behind. Educators who view picture books and early reader books as rich texts worthy of analysis will find that their students explore almost all of the Standard of Learning items (sentence analysis, vocabulary, figurative language, central themes, characters, using text to justify arguments, etc.) via these books.

Author Studies, examining the full corpus of an authors’ work, allow both students and educators the cover to explore works that might otherwise be deemed “too babyish.” In addition to allowing late-emerging readers time to catch up to their peers, picture books reconnect all readers to books. They are often joyful, hilarious, beautiful, and page-turners. Check out the 2024 Award Winning and Starred Picture Books to reacquaint yourself with these types of books.