[Source:  Science Daily]

Children hear as much sophisticated information about animals when parents read picture book stories about animals as when they read flashcard-type animal vocabulary books, according to a new study from the University of Waterloo.

“Marketers tell parents and educators that vocabulary books are more educational, so picture books are often dismissed as being just for fun,” said the study’s author, Professor Daniela O’Neill. “But our findings show that reading picture books with kids exposes them to information about animals in a way that allows children to readily apply this knowledge more broadly. This is key to learning.”

The study, by Professor O’Neill of the Department of Psychology at Waterloo, and Angela Nyhout, a graduate student, recorded 25 mothers while they read two books to their toddlers, each featuring six animals.

In one book, the animals were part of a story told in pictures. But in the other book, a picture of each animal was presented against a blank background, in the usual style of “vocabulary learning” books.

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