Transitions: From Picture Book to Board Book and More

No More Blanket for Lambkin! (2010)
Author: Bernette Ford

Illustrator: Sam Williams

Publisher: Sterling Publishing

 

Many popular board books were written and first published as hardcover picture books. A classic example is Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, released as a picture book in 1947, then as a board title in 1991. 

What are the advantages of a board book? 

Thick, sturdy pages support interactive flaps and inserts. Durable surfaces wipe clean. Board pages are easier for babies and toddlers to turn. Curved edges, safer. Most are easy for 1- and 2-year-olds to carry. Nothing says BABY like a board book. Likewise, no one says MINE! like a two-year-old. Independent toting and page turning foster independent book handling and "pretend reading" skills.

Board books are less expensive than their picture book counterparts.  

What are the disadvantages? Despite everyone's best efforts, some picture books simply do not take to the new book format. Nothing says BABY like a board book - preschoolers may snub the board pages, regardless of content.

No More Blanket for Lambkin! was published as a picture book in 2009, in board format in 2010. Let's compare. The hardcover is 32 pages long including end pages and front matter. It is roughly 10 by 10 inches square. The board book is 24 pages long and 6 5/8 by 6 5/8 inches square. The latter cover features a closeup of Lambkin with a soft blanket insert. Inside layouts are identical, albeit smaller in the board format. Colors appear more concentrated in the younger text, yielding sharper images, a plus for baby's eyes. The board book edition ranks higher in sales than the hardcover. It appears parents are intuitively matching book topic to baby's age, and age to best book format. Tikes who opt for a transitional object - a blanket or toy - generally do so between 6 and 12 months of age and hold on to it for 1 to 3 years.

Read more about No More Blanket for Lambkin! here. Hint: Lambkin kinda, sorta, doesn't part with the blanket in the end. Learn about transitional objects here.