Picture books 'being rejected by schools'

Traditional picture books are disappearing from schools as reading for pleasure takes a back seat to exam revision, according to a leading author.

Anthony Browne, the Children’s Laureate, said there was an increasing focus on more serious novels at a young age as parents and teachers attempt to boost children’s reading skills.

He said it risked “devaluing” a number of books – such as Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak and Julia Donaldson's Gruffalo – which children find “hugely enjoyable”.

Two years ago the sale of picture books fell by eight per cent – the first drop in a decade. It prompted a campaign from Booktrust, the reading charity, to resurrect their popularity. Next week, the charity’s Children’s Book Week will be based on the theme “words and pictures”.

Anthony Browne, the author and illustrator, who is famed for books such as Gorilla, My Mum and My Dad, said: “Picture books have been marginalised in recent years. It may be driven by the focus on children passing tests.

“In many ways, parents also try to get their children to read more serious books from a younger age. They are doing it for good reasons. They want their children to get on and do better at school by improving their reading level.

“But there is a danger that children can lose their enjoyment of reading if they are pushed on to books they're not ready for. We are devaluing a good number of books that children find hugely enjoyable.”

He said the trend was fuelled by the Harry Potter series which has made longer books increasingly popular among young children.

“I get the feeling that children stop reading picture books earlier and earlier. By the age of six there seems to be a cut off,” he said. “It is reinforced a little bit by the Harry Potter phenomenon where children were encouraged to read longer and longer books.

“I think it is a real danger to just concentrate on the mechanical aspects of learning to read. Maybe a school will get better results in the short term, but there is a danger children will not get the same enojoyment out of reading.”

The comments follow concerns from Michael Rosen, the former Children's Laureate, who insisted many pupils went all the way through their formative years at school without reading a single novel. He said children were increasingly encouraged to read "extracts" of books to pass Sats tests.