The Children's Picture Book Market includes illustrated storybooks, board books, educational picture books, wordless books and other visual reading formats designed primarily for babies, toddlers, preschool children and early readers. These books are used at home, in schools, libraries, childcare centers and early-learning programs to support storytelling, vocabulary development, imagination and early literacy. UNICEF identifies illustrated storybooks and children's storybooks as useful learning materials for early language and literacy development.

What is the Children's Picture Book Market?

The Children's Picture Book Market refers to illustrated books which are mainly written for babies, toddlers, preschoolers and beginning readers. Picture books use both written language and illustrations to tell stories, teach ideas, introduce characters and give information. They include board books, wordless picture books, story books, educational picture books, activity books and illustrated non-fiction.

Picture books can be used in homes, preschools, libraries, schools, child care centers and literacy programs.

Why are picture books important for children?

Children are provided with the opportunity to hear language, view illustrations, acquire vocabulary, follow stories and engage in discussions on ideas with adults through picture books. The shared reading process might include questions, explanations, discussions on characters, the plot of the story, the illustrations and any words that are new to the children.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's What Works Clearinghouse, shared book reading is an approach in which adults involve children in text, illustrations, printed words and their meanings.

What Are the Different Types of Children's Picture Books?

Board books are created to withstand wear and tear by very young readers. Meanwhile, standard hardcover and paperback picture books can be used for reading together. Wordless picture books are based on images and give children an opportunity to read and retell stories without relying on words.

How Can Picture Books Help in Early Literacy?

Picture books are helpful in terms of introducing children to new words and phrases, structure of a story, spoken language, and print concepts. Adults can use pictures and elements of the plot to ask questions and explain words and link the book's content to children's experience.

The guidance of UNICEF in India for early language and literacy suggests illustrated storybooks and picture story cards as examples of teaching and learning materials. These should include sets of simple illustrated storybooks for children with different levels of reading proficiency. 

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