Mac Barnett on Why Picture Books Are Real Literature

KQED's Forum

KQED

Politics, News, News Commentary

4.6 • 656 Ratings

🗓️ 21 March 2025

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

As the Library of Congress’s new National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Bay Area children’s author Mac Barnett wants to reframe how we think about picture books. With his platform, “Behold the Picture Book,” he’s championing the vital role picture books play in engaging readers of all ages and why we love them. What’s the picture book you love reading over and over and over? Guests: Mac Barnett, author of the children's books "Circle," "Square" and "Triangle" which have been made into a new animated series "Shape Island" on AppleTV+. Barnett is also the author of the "Mac B. Kid Spy" and the "Jack" series. His books have won Caldecott honors and E.B. White Read Aloud Awards. Aida Salazar, children's book author. Her picture books include "Jovita Wore Pants" and "In the Spirit of a Dream." Laura G. Lee, children's book author and illustrator. Her picture books are "Soy Sauce!" and "Cat Eyes." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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1:01.8	From KQED in San francisco i'm alexis madrigal a picture might be worth a thousand words so just imagine how much a picture book should be worth but the truth is that picture books are
1:07.6	often not afforded the respect of being real literature.
1:11.4	They're seen as something you graduate out of.
1:14.3	Bay Area author Mack Barnett is trying to change that,
1:17.4	and he's now got an official post to do it from,
1:20.3	he's the Library of Congress's National Ambassador for Young People's Literature,
1:24.9	and we're going to talk with him about how to look at picture
1:28.5	books. You'll never see Good Night Moon the same way again. So coming up next, right after this
1:33.4	news.
1:51.7	Welcome to Forum. I'm Alexis Madrigal. Consider the picture book, or perhaps behold, the picture book. This is what author Mac Barnett and a merry band of co-conspirators
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