Celebrate Picture Book Month

Submitted by CCCL_AmyM

Fall is the perfect time to cozy up with your favorite people and enjoy new and old picture book favorites. Join Contra Costa County Library in celebrating November 2023 as Picture Book Month and the 20th anniversary of Mo Willem’s "Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus."

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus

Visit any branch to enjoy Pigeon-themed activities including a scavenger hunt, craft, and a guessing jar game. Plus check out any five picture books and show your receipt to win a prize!  

Picture books help to build young readers one glossy page at a time. A good picture book is a work of art combining just the right illustrations with just the right words and placing them all together for an enjoyable reading experience.  

There is nothing simple about the benefits of reading picture books with young (and not so young) children. Picture books cultivate an appreciation for art while strengthening a child's visual skills. Before a child can read the words, they learn to read the pictures to understand the story. They help children learn about the structure of a story while building vocabulary and comprehension. Through simple and familiar stories or very complex and serious stories, children are invited to explore the big world around them.  

The most important aspect of picture books is how they are shared. They are meant to be a collective experience between a child, or a group of children, and a trusted adult. Reading books together builds a bond that is very special and unique.  

If you need any help finding great titles, the Youth Services Librarians have created some brand-new Pigeon-inspired booklists. Place your holds and pick them up at your local library today: 

Pigeon's Favorite Things- Hot Dogs & Puppies 

Pigeon's Favorite Things- Buses and things that “go!”

Pigeon's Favorite Things- School   

Pigeon's Favorite Things- Roller Coasters & Patience! 

Pigeon's Favorite Things- Staying Up Late 

Pigeon's Favorite Things- Cookies 

Pigeon's (Least) Favorite Things- Bath time 

Books by the marvelous Mo Willems 

What new treasures will you discover during Picture Book Month? We'd love to hear about your favorites!