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Summary: Spitz comments on the classics
Review: "Inside Picture Books" by Ellen Handler Spitz is a complete breakdown of the different kinds of childrens' picture books. Spitz comments on dozens of picture book classics and shows us why some will always be favorites and some will not. She does this by using each chapter to talk about a particular type of picture book, including bed time stories and "feel good" books. Some other topics spitz addresses are how picture books are illustrated, the message and the endings.
Although I found the first chapter of "Inside Picture Books" a bit dull, I quickly gained interest as I read on. I found myself in agreement with some of the author's themes, like how children have to surrender to sleep and how books relate. Other themes (sexual insinuations) were hard for me to accept. Overall, I found this book well written, intriguing and a little controversial, and recommend it to various audiences. If you read to children or just want to read an in-depth, competent writter this might be a good book for you.
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Summary: An excellent book for parents who read to small children.
Review: "Inside Picture Books" takes parents on a lively and thought-provoking journey into the inner world of picture books. It helps us to understand why our children find certain books so compelling and what messages the text and especially the pictures are giving them. The author writes in a clear, engaging way that encourages us not only to read to our children but to chose books with care and discuss them with the children. She suggests that some of the best picture books help children cope with challenges such as learning to fall asleep, separate from their mothers, and control themselves. I found her focus on the art and imagery in picture books unique and enlightening. I am the mother of a toddler, have recommended this book to many friends, and highly recommend it to all parents who read to their small children.
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Summary: Looking too deep into picture books
Review: Although Ellen Handler Spitz's is written for anyone who deals with children, I found the book somewhat hard to follow. Beside the fact that she refers to books assuming that everyone has read them, most of the books that she does mention are very old books. I also thought that she was analyzing some of the books to death. In the Good Night Moon section, Spitz finds strange reasons for almost every object in the room, such as the red balloon representing another children's book. I think that this is reading too far into the pictures, which lessens the enjoyment of reading the book. As mentioned before, it was also difficult to read and follow what she was talking about when she mentions books that some people may not have read. She refers to them in order to make a point, but her point is lost if you have not read the book being referred too.
The part of the book that I did like was that it was easy reading and that almost anyone would be able to understand it.
Rating: 
Summary: A deep look inside picture books
Review: Ellen Handler Spitz analyzes many children's stories in her non-fiction compilation entitled, Inside Picture Books. The author examines several of our childhood favorites focusing on the initial positive and negative effects these books have on the children and the long-term psychological effects they imprint in their minds. She focuses on many aspects of these books. She explains how the images within the books can often affect the interpretation of the reader. For example, Ellen Handler Spitz uses the story There's a Nightmare in My Closet by Mercer Mayer to show how the endings of these tales can adversely affect children for years after reading them. This example is about a little boy who decides to confront his monster (fears). Upon this confrontation, the monster becomes scared and begins to cry. After an initial feeling of anger, the boy begins to feel empathy and befriends the creature. The book ends with the little boy and the monster falling asleep together in bed while another monster creeps into the bedroom. By ending the book in this manner, the child is left without closure. Ellen Handler Spitz often over analyzes these books resulting in the loss of their enchantment. She wrote this book for someone working with children, specifically educators. It is written in a very scholarly fashion and is often difficult to understand. I enjoyed her analysis of the picture books, but it would have been more useful had she written it using less jargon. Also, it would have been useful if she had included more illustrations when she talks about the scenes occurring in the text. I would recommend this book to a college level children's literature class that is looking to dive deeply into the psychological factors that children's books hold. As for anyone interested in reading about various picture books to just get the basic meanings of them, I would caution them to stay away from Ellen Handler Spitz. Kelly R.
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Summary: Everyone who reads to children will want this book
Review: Ellen Handler Spitz explores our favorite picture books in ways that enlighten, amaze, and sometimes even dismay us. My understanding of these books is changed forever, and I feel enriched by my new knowledge. I have a deeper sense of just how a child benefits from our reading together, and just what messages I might be passing on. Now if only I had grandchildren to take advantage of these perceptions! Exploring all the old favorites, from Madeleine to Where the Wild Things Are, we see how differently children interpret picture books from how we adults do. I never realized there was an ambiguous message hidden on the last page of Ferdinand the Bull or that there was a reason Goodnight Moon was done up in saturated colors of red and green rather than the pastels we often find in young children's books. Treat yourself to this book, then get a few more for perfect new baby presents!
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Summary: Reading this book will change the way you read to your child
Review: Ellen Handler Spitz has a way of explaining the enchantment of children's favorite picture books that no one will want to miss. Grandparents, parents, and caregivers who buy this book will find themselves enriched and intrigued with every insight. Ms. Spitz is not only an expert in art and literature; she also knows children. Absolutely everything she wrote rang true to my experience as a mother of two young boys. If you want to understand more fully how words and text make lasting impressions on children, you'll want to have a copy of Inside Picture Books. I've recommended this book to all of my friends, as well as to grandparent visitors to Grandloving.com, my monthly website for caring grandparents.
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Summary: Spitz...I give it one thumb up
Review: Ellen Handler Spitz set out to show her readers the importance of choosing an appropriate picture book for a young child. She suggests first analyzing the cover, then the illustrations, and eventually everything in between and after you're done doing that, you must consider how this will affect your child. However, the way she chose to get her message across to the readers is a bit hazy and may leave some of her readers lost in the fog. Inside Picture Books, published in 1996, is a psychoanalysis done by Spitz on a compilation of different picture books, many considered classics. I thoroughly enjoyed a number of the analysis she proposed; however, they were only of the books I had previously read and had already developed my own opinion of. While reading this book, I often found myself thinking that she was overanalyzing things too much. I sometimes felt offended when she criticized some of my favorites; yet, I relished at seeing things from another viewpoint. If there is one thing this book does to its readers, it makes them dust off their dictionary. I often found myself wondering where she came up with a word, until I too found it in Websters. I believe Spitz's reasoning behind the complicated vocabulary lies in her determination and goal. She has set out to give a new status to the idea and consideration of picture books. She has written this book with an aim toward scholars and has left the rest of us striving to reach that level.
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Summary: Spitz's Inside Picture Books
Review: Ellen Handler Spitz's nonfictional narrative, Inside Picture Books, explores and introduces us to several different types of picture books. Spitz writes of the power of picture books to affect a child either positively or negatively. The book begins with an introduction of Spitz's viewpoints. This introduction was too long, and not to the point. This made it hard to get into the book. In the next chapter however Spitz begins to introduce us to books. Spitz now finally captures our attention by drawing on an experience many of us can remember. This experience is being read to as a child before bedtime. Each book she analyzes focuses on many aspects of the book, including the books pictures, language, theme, and the readers' initial reactions, and emotional responses to the book. Spitz also focuses on the psychology of the picture books. In these psychological analyses, I felt she was looking too deep into the book. This made it hard to follow exactly what she was getting at. Spitz however does use great description throughout the book, and definitely is successful at accomplishing her purpose of introducing us to great picture books. I love to read children's books, and I did enjoy reading about the books that I have read before. I did not however enjoy reading about the books I haven't read as much. I would recommend this book to educators, students, and parents. However I would suggest that if you do read this book, you simply read it to learn about some great picture books, and not analyze your favorite children's books.
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Summary: Too much analyzing
Review: Erin Murphy
Spitz, E. (1999). Inside picture books. Yale University Press. Ellen Handler Spitz's Inside Picture Books is a nonfiction book. The book should be read by parents or teachers who are interested in finding out about picture books and want what the books are about and if they will have a positive or negative on the children. The theme of the book is children's picture books. Spitz talks about many different picture books and tells how the books will affect the children positively or negatively.
Spitz's book is broken down into chapters and each chapter has a different concept. She discusses books that are about bedtime, books dealing about accidents and death, and books that talk about children who do not always behave. Spitz uses the pictures to explain the message of the story.
The one thing that I liked about Spitz's book is that she described many different picture books. Most of these books I have never read and some I had never even heard before. Another thing that Spitz does with her book is that she focuses on the many aspects of the books, such as, the pictures and the language.
There are some things, however that I did not really like about this book. For one thing, she spends a lot of time talking about the pictures of the book, but rarely shows any these pictures in the book. I think that it would have been more effective if, after describing a picture, to include the picture next to the description. She would not necessarily have to do that for every picture she describes; only for the ones that would be more memorable.
Also, I think she analyzes the books way too much. Younger readers probably would not look that much into these books. They would read them because they like the book and like the pictures. Parents will probably just read these books to their children because they enjoyed them as children and will want to share that enjoyment with their children. I do not think that they will sit and analyze the books with their children after reading the book. In my opinion, she ruins a lot of the books by analyzing them to death.
I do not know if I would recommend this book to other readers or not. The book is good if someone wanted to find out about picture books. It has a good amount of children's books listed. On the other hand, it analyzes these books a little too much for my taste. For those readers who want to enjoy the books they read as children with their own children, I suggest that they do not read this book because it may ruin the books they love most forever. I think that I would give this book two stars.
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Summary: Spitz Assumes
Review: From the moment that I started reading this book I could not get interested. Spitz jumps back and forth between discussing various picture books, making it confusing at times to follow. I think that Spitz assumes that all of her readers have read the books that she discusses, and analyzes them to the extent that she does. I have never read a picture book where I look at the cover and say that it depicts death, like she did of the book, the Accident. By assuming that us as readers have read all the books she discusses she loses our comprehension to her thoughts, by referring to examples and books that I have never read, nor heard of. Overall, I think that if Spitz would get to the point, without using language that loses her readers, I may have enjoyed the book more.
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