picture books

while in the library at school, supervising (babysitting) students, i had the pleasure of encountering some of my favourite stories from when i was young - but probably too old to be reading picture books. the colourful, contemplative and deceptively 3 dimensional like picture books of Jeannie Baker.

i saw the book Window lying on a desk and immediately had memories of pouring over each page, finding new things in every image - little creatures, things in trees, old coke cans in the grass. strong memories of the books theme came flooding back; the way we drastically change our environment, the way we don't notice over time. but i always liked the way the book watched this little red-headed boy grow, from his first trip home with mum to the day he started his own family. i followed this family, and i knew them. Baker builds such a joyous and real family story, and opens our minds to the way we affect our environment.

"...by opening a window in our minds, by understanding how change takes place and by changing the way we personally affect the environment, we can make a difference." Jeannie Baker

she was onto something back then.

a.