As I browse through the picture books in my local library, I find there are three sections of books: Picture; Easy; and Early Reader. Identifying children’s books for each section is not as easy as it sounds.
Early Reader Books
These are the easiest ones to identify. They are illustrated stories told in short chapters. The stories don’t require illustrations, but are much better with them.
Vocabulary is limited in the books. The text is large. The illustrations help the reader as they show what is happening. “Biscuit Goes Camping” is a good example.
True Picture Books
True picture books have very few or no words. The story is told by the illustrations with the text only offering a little clarification.
I think of these as books for very young children, except they aren’t always. David Wiesner has no words in his Easy books and classifies them that way because the subjects are more challenging than the simpler ones for young children.
Illustrated Books
More often books shelved with the picture books are story books with illustrations. They can be elaborately done as those by Jan Brett who sometimes has an illustrated book with sidebars for a picture book.
The main story does not require illustrations to be read as a story. Instead, the illustrations only add to the story.
Identifying Children’s Books
What I see with these illustrated books, is confusion. Some are classed as Easy while others much the same are shelved as picture books.
“Punia and the King of Sharks” and “The Girl Who Loved Horses” are both retellings of folk tales. The first is shelved as Easy, the second as a picture book. Both are richly illustrated.
My impression is that it depends on the author or publisher to decide which way to list the book. It may also be based on not having the two classifications clearly differentiated.
I read a lot of children’s books every year, posting reviews on Goodreads. Most of them are called picture books. However, I find I enjoy many of the others as well.