University Students as Authors: Creating Children's Books to Demonstrate Content Knowledge and Understanding

T here is more than meets the eye when it comes to children's picture books.Although intended for youngsters, these books often address more than what is on the surface.Creating a thoughtful story with quality illustrations is not a small task and thinking that picture books cannot teach difficult things is an unfair assumption.Putting together a story that engages and educates all at once, that speaks to young readers but also conveys knowledge of someone older, requires caring effort.They often do not appear as complex or lengthy as literature for older readers.But the power of an excellent children's picture book can inform, inspire, and stay with a person for years.And certain stories can help readers examine tough academic concepts and perplexing philosophical questions (Pinkerton, 2016).Books like Baby loves aerospace engineering (2016) and Baby loves gravity (2018) by Ruth Spiro bring challenging concepts to board book-level for toddlers.For older children, recent notable books integrate high-level subject matter within story format, such as Camille Andros' Charlotte the scientist is squished (2017) where children learn the scientific method while reading a story about Charlotte, a young rabbit looking to solve a frustrating problem.Heavy issues like prejudice and emotions related to Black history and love are explored in The undefeated (2019) by Kwame Alexander, and a child grieving a beloved pet is portrayed in Where Lily isn't (2020) by Julie Paschkis.While the picture book genre seems easy at first glance, upon reading, it is evident they are not minimal.These child-friendly books present information as well as valuable insight.