An Open Book : What and How Young Children Learn From Picture and Story Books
Looking at and listening to picture and story books is a ubiquitous activity, enjoyed by many young children and their parents. Well before children can read for themselves they are able to learn from books. Looking at and listening to books increases children’s general knowledge, understanding about the world and promotes language acquisition. Capitalising on children’s natural love of books, recent research indicates that both socio-pragmatic and cognitive mechanisms underlie what and how young children benefit from looking at and listening to picture and story books.