Are you using pictures in picture books the right way?
- fablette
- Dec 30, 2025
- 2 min read
Simple, research-informed ways to make illustrations work harder for your child.
You’ve probably watched your child linger on a page, long after the words are done. That's because pictures are the scaffolding that helps children build meaning, remember words, and connect stories to real life.
Pictures are invitations to talk—and talking is how language grows.
How pictures help early literacy
They anchor attention and memory. Visuals are easier to remember than words alone (often called the “picture superiority effect”), likely because the brain encodes images and verbal labels together.
They help children map words to the world. Even very young toddlers can transfer a new label learned from a picture book to the real object—especially when the illustration looks realistic.
They light up brain networks for imagery and narrative. More shared reading at home is linked with stronger activation in regions supporting mental imagery during story listening.
They set up conversation. When you pause to notice pictures together—what changed, how a character feels—language and social-emotional benefits grow.
How to use pictures well
Let your child lead the gaze. Follow the finger. Name what they’re looking at, then add one small detail: “truck… blue truck.” That tiny expansion is enough.
Treat the art as part of the text. Before turning a page, take a breath to look: “what’s happening in this picture?” or “what changed?” One open question is plenty.
Prefer clear, meaningful images for new words. For toddlers, realistic photos or simple, high-iconicity drawings make it easier to link a word to a real object.
Link pictures to real life. Point from page to world: “our kettle looks like this,” “we saw a mango like that.” Transfer strengthens understanding.
Easy pitfalls to avoid
Rushing the pictures. If you read all the words but skip the art, your child misses the main meaning-maker.
Choosing style over sense. Busy, abstract art can be fun later; for first word learning, simpler and more realistic visuals help mapping.
Pictures are the ramp to meaning. Slow down for them, talk about them, and link them to your child’s world. That’s “using pictures the right way.”
Make every story count
Did you know that just like pictures, audio cues can also help build meaning and generate conversation? That's why we’re building short, joyful audio stories with surround-sound audio cues—so families can slow down, notice more, and fall in love with the art of reading together. Join the beta by clicking the button below!
