What do picture books do?

I write a lot on Facebook using pictures of a child to tell tales of the day’s events from her perspective, using her voice and my Facebook friends look forward to these. I keep doing it because it entertains my friends and in these times; I think we all need entertainment. But when it comes to writing picture books, what do I actually want to achieve? 

I’m not a fan of children’s books that talk down to children, or take the voice of an authority figure but I still want to write in a way that helps kids. But why? Is it the role of picture books to teach? To guide? To warn? Or is the role of picture books to enrich, build self-esteem, increase resilience? Tell a kid they are ok as they are? 

I think it can be both. Picture books can be just plain fun but even the just plain fun books are teaching, modelling, enriching the lives of children.

I was in the military and one of my goals is to write books relevant to the veteran community with general appeal. The children of veterans can witness their parents’ suffering. Other children may not. Or perhaps they do, but it’s not something anyone talks about. How does a child feel when a parent comes back from fighting? Is it the same as a child whose parent has been away for another reason? Working away? An extended hospital stay? From a child’s point of view they were away and now the family has a period of change when the parent returns. What’s that like for a child? Is there a way picture books can help a child recognise their own feelings and reassure a child these feelings are ok? 

The answer is yes and there are a gazillion books on the market with that aim. My goal is to add more so there are books out there to suit every situation and every child.