Discussing books with children improves their creative writing skills
Children need to talk about the books they read to understand them better.
"Why is Goodnight Moon such a big deal?" my friend asked me. The classic story by Margaret Wise Brown doesn't seem that notable on first glance: a slightly off-putting colour scheme depicting a story without any exciting plotlines or humorous developments.
I urged her and her young child to give the picture book another try, and pointed out a few things to take note of.
The same scene in the bedroom repeats itself through the story, but illustrator Clement Hurd shows subtle changes with each successive image: the lighting, the little rabbit initially on top of the covers and later snuggled under them, and the unassuming mouse.
The verses in the first part of the book have a sing-song quality; the latter part is devoted to the rabbit's special bedtime ritual of wishing a good night to his surroundings.
A quality picture book can be reread and enjoyed many times over, and I can't think of a better example than Goodnight Moon. My four-year-old daughter is still at that stage of discovering new favourites and never tires of hearing them again and again.