A Daily Picture Book: A Definition

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What is A Daily Picture Book?

A-Daily-Picture-Book (‘ā  ‘dā-lē ‘pik-chǝr ‘būk)
Proper noun
Definition: to read an illustrated book every day. 

A Daily Picture Book was born from my desire to provide my children with a well rounded education, deep, meaningful relationships, wonder, excitement and beauty. To read an illustrated book together, every day, brings this to life. A Daily Picture Book is simply an opportunity to learn, grow and enjoy literature together as a family on a daily basis. 

Characteristics that I look for in an illustrated book

• Living Book*
• Engaging, captivating illustrations
• One author
• Elevates the mind and triggers thinking after reading it 

*Living Books: 
A living picture book is the best that literature has to offer: it is written by one author passionate about his or her topic, written in a narrative style that captures the reader’s attention, helping to create deep, meaningful relationships with the subject. It has a very talented illustrator who has a keen interest in the subject of his/her book.  Or if you are really in luck, a living picture book has one author/illustrator. These are the creme de la creme!

Through their words and illustrations they transport you into a new world, help you discover a new person, maybe a new friend. A living picture book will not leave you indifferent. It will encourage you to learn more about the topic of the book, it will help you create a deep meaningful relationship with its subject.
Living books are different from textbooks, which are usually written by a group of people whose goal is to help the child memorize facts for a test rather than to create a deep meaningful relationship with the topic at hand. And a living book is the furthest thing from “twaddle”,  a term coined by Charlotte Mason to describe books that dumb children down.

What does A Daily Picture Book provide?

• Well rounded education
• Deep, meaningful relationships/connections
• Wonder and excitement
• Beauty
• Opportunity to dig deeper: Forages*
• Memories
• Family culture: we are all learning together and making new discoveries together.

How does it work?

• Simple: sit, read, discuss

Our daily picture book is included in our homeschool as a stand alone book for our morning time. We will read a book about Mozart on January 27th or a book about Michelangelo on March 6th, their respective birthdays. And then we will spend some time listening to Mozart or admiring some Michelangelo paintings or learning to duplicate his artistic style in order to deepen our relationship with them and to follow our curiosity about this new friend.

What is covered?

It would be easier to ask  the question: what does it not cover? Lol!
Using A Daily Picture Book helps you encounter a person or event that you would not normally cross paths with through a regular curriculum.

• Art: artists, illustrators, painters, sculptors, Cinema, photography, architecture
• Writers: Authors, poets, playwrights
• Historical/current figures: presidents, kings, activists, philanthropists, politicians, people who have made a difference in the world around them, no matter how small  
• Historical/current events and wars
• Music: Composers, singers, musicians
• Cooks
• Agriculture: farmers, inventors
• Geography: countries, cartographers, explorers, adventurers
• History: events and figures
• Science: inventors, scientists, doctors, nurses, engineers, astronomers, astronauts, archaeologists, paleontologists
• Athletes
• Cultures: Native Americans
• Liturgical year: saints, feasts, solemnities
• Virtues
• And many other topics that I have not listed above

A Daily Picture Book is a multitasking piece of the puzzle that fits into all areas of our life and the education of our children.