This document discusses perspectives from various children's book authors and illustrators. Eric Carle notes that for young children touch and being held is most important initially, before focusing on words in books. He wanted to create a bridge between these stages. Mo Willems argues that cartoon characters in books can feel more real than realistic drawings as their design focuses on the emotional side. Mitsumasa Anno describes his books as "teaching without teaching," rather than directly trying to teach.

1. Children’s Books and the
Ladder of Years

18. “A good picture book text can almost be
whistled.”
--Margaret Wise Brown

31. “As a picture-book artist, I don’t think one
can ever be too much on the side of the
child.”
--Helen Oxenbury

34. “Up to a point , a child is more tactile than
verbal: holding hands, holding his or her bottle
or rattle … and being held is what matters at
first. School—and focusing on the words in
books—comes later. I thought there should be a
bridge between.”
--Eric Carle

43. “There’s always room for a story that can
transport people to another place.”
--J.K. Rowling

58. “I think the cartoon characters in the Knuffle
Bunny books are more real than the
photographic backgrounds. They’re purer than
more realistic drawings … would have been,
because their design focuses on their emotional
side.”
--Mo Willems

67. “In my books, I don’t want to teach. What
I have done might better be described as
‘teaching without teaching.’”
--Mitsumasa Anno