The Joy of Picture Books
November is Picture Book Month, and it’s no secret that we love picture books at Burlington Public Library. We read them every day at storytime and love recommending great reads to our young (and not-so-young!) community members. A picture book is often the first book a child shares with a caregiver, introducing them to a new world of words, pictures, and adventures.
Why Picture Books Matter
There's much more to picture books than colourful illustrations and entertaining stories. They help us learn, understand each other, and see the world in new ways.
Picture Books & Early Literacy
Your child’s learning starts at birth. Reading with young children (even babies!) helps build a strong foundation for future learning. When you read a story together, share a song, or look at pictures, your child is developing early literacy skills. These early literacy skills are the building blocks for understanding language, recognizing letters and sounds, and eventually learning to read.
Picture books encourage curiosity, inspire learning, and help us see the world in new ways. They can help us understand each other, appreciate our differences, and tackle challenging topics that lead to meaningful conversation. At the end of the day, picture books bring us together!
Stories for Every Age
Picture books aren’t just for kids. Their vibrant artwork, clear storytelling, and emotional warmth make them ideal for anyone rediscovering the joy of stories—including people with dementia or brain injury, and those learning a new language. Picture books help engage memory, emotion, and conversation in ways that few other formats can. Picture books are a wonderful, shared experience at any age.
Make Picture Books Part of Your Day
The library makes it easy to enjoy picture books together, with plenty of ways to read, learn, and have fun.
Picture Book Bags
We know life is busy! This is why we have grab-and-go Picture Book Bags. You can place a hold on a picture book bag ahead of your visit or borrow one in branch. Some of our most popular themes include Emotions, Sharing, Being Yourself & Accepting Others, Counting Books, Staff Picks, and LOL Silly Stories. Our picture book bags also make an at-home storytime easy!
Join Us for Storytime
Storytime is a great introduction to the library for your little one as well as a way for them to build early literacy skills and provide an opportunity for socialization. Each time you join us at storytime, your child learns new words and practices skills that they master over time. Have you ever wondered if it’s okay to sing the same song or read the same story over and over? It sure is! Repetition is a common practice in storytime, so children and adults alike can learn the words and build confidence, helping them join in our songs and actions week after week.
We offer storytimes many days of the week at our branches. Check out our program calendar for dates and times.
1000 Books Before Kindergarten
BPL’s 1000 Books Before Kindergarten is a free, self-paced program that encourages families to read 1,000 books together before school starts—and yes, repeats count, because every parent knows there are favourites you’ll read again and again!
Picture books are the perfect choice to feed your child’s voracious appetite for entertaining stories and make it easy to track your progress. Each story you share brings you closer to your goal—and to raising a confident, curious reader who loves books.
Stories Worth Sharing
As our children's literacy librarian and mom to two little booklovers, Sarah has plenty of experience sharing stories. Here are seven picture books she loves to read aloud. Bring home a story to share!
Bark, George by Jules Feiffer– A hilarious story about a dog who can’t bark but can make other animal sounds—will he ever learn?
Warning: Do Not Open This Book! by Adam Lehrhaupt – Enter if you dare and discover... monkey, toucan, and alligator mayhem.
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin – A classic and beloved story. Kids will join you in reading this one aloud!
The Book Hog by Greg Pizzoli – A book about a pig who loves books and has a large collection of books but never learned how to read.
Don’t Wake Up the Tiger by Britta Teckentrup – Tiger is sleeping but many animals need to get by! Will they make it before waking her up? Read this one for a surprise ending.
If You’re Happy and You Know It by James Warhola – A jungle animal version of If You’re Happy and You Know It! Encourage children to join in on the actions.
Make Time for Stories
A favourite story, a comfy spot, and a little time together. Sometimes that's all you need. Celebrate Picture Book Month with storytime at the library and a fresh stack of picture books to share at home. Happy reading!
