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Parents and Children Reading Together: Expanding Shared Book-Reading Across Genres

In this conceptual article we explore parents’ shared book reading (SBR) interactions with their preschoolers across different book genres in their natural home settings. We consider the unique and shared contributions of narrative, informational, wordless, and alphabet picturebooks, and how reading across genres can increase children’s involvement in the interaction, deepen their content knowledge, expand their vocabulary, and strengthen their visual literacy. Beyond the benefi ts for children, we discuss the advantages for parents of reading from diff erent genres and highlight directions for future research.


Introduction
For young children, shared reading of picturebooks 1 is an important part of the day. Research on shared book-reading (SBR), where an adult reads and engages in discussion surrounding a book with a child (or group of children), reveals various factors that may infl uence these interactions, such as parental education and reading style (e.g., Cline & Edwards, 2017; [16] Mol et al., 2009), [44] or child characteristics such as gender, socioeconomic status, or developmental stage (e.g., Boyle et al., 2019; [10] Shahaeian 2018). [59] However, aspects of the book itself and how they impact SBR have been explored less frequently (Hoffman et al., 2015; [33] Lennox, 2013). [39] Moreover, despite a large array of children's book genres, adults generally default to the narrative picturebook for SBR (e.g., Bingham et al., 2018; [7] Yopp & Yopp, 2006). [66] In this conceptual article, we explore parent-child SBR of books from four popular genres in children's literature -narrative, informational, wordless, and alphabet. Drawing upon SBR vignettes 2 with young children and their mothers, we consider how the unique and shared aspects of each genre contribute to these joint interactions and provide opportunities to promote four important aspects of children's literacy development: active involvement in literacy interactions, broadening content knowledge, expanding vocabulary, and fostering visual literacy. These four elements of early literacy embody a range of factors

SBR & Genre
In this section we explore parent-child shared reading of books from four genres (narrative, informational, wordless, alphabet) in greater depth, and utilize vignettes to illustrate the contributions of each genre to SBR interactions, focusing on the four abovementioned important elements of emerging literacy -involvement, content knowledge, vocabulary, and visual literacy. The discussion of each genre includes examples of award-winning books (Caldecott Honors and ALA List of Notable Children's Books) that illustrate key features.

Narrative Storybooks
Narrative storybooks are the most widely used books for preschool-aged children. They generally tell a story, often with human or animal characters, and rely on a traditional plot structure with a clear beginning-middle-ending. In children's narrative storybooks, the illustrations and the text may be considered different "sign" systems that interact in complicated ways (e.g., Sipe, 2012). [60] Reading these books often involves not only understanding the main idea of the story as related by the text, but also being able to follow the progression of the illustrations that may help reinforce and elaborate on the story (Nikolajeva & Scott, 2006). [47] For example, in Last Stop on Market Street (De La Pena, 2016), [18] CJ's bus ride with his grandmother begins with his questioning the differences he observes in the people around him, and ends with his sense of satisfaction with the people and activities in his life. This theme of understanding and appreciating differences is addressed in a different manner in All the World (Scanlon, 2008), [56] in which each two-page spread presents a poetic word sequence and illustration related to a specific living environment, from the "shell to keep" and "moat to dig" of the beach to the "hive, bee, wings, hum" of the farm. The vignettes in Table 1 highlight how mothers make use of both the text and the illustrations in narrative picturebooks to promote children's emerging literacy.
Throughout these vignettes with narrative texts, mothers are drawing upon words and illustrations, as well as the connections between them, to encourage the child's involvement with the story. By explaining specific elements in the illustration, one mother expanded her child's knowledge of the work done harvesting apples, and the people responsible for doing it; another fostered her child's attention to visual clues by asking questions about ice cream flavors. The sequencing of words and pictures in narrative picturebooks supports inference and prediction -"what is going on here", "what will happen/what will we see next?" In SBR with narrative picturebooks, as parents and children explore the connections between text and illustrations, they draw upon text-to-self connections that foster literacy engagement and deepen comprehension.

Informational Picturebooks
Conversations between early childhood caregivers and young children are peppered with questions about the how and why of everyday experiences, suggesting the potential appeal of informational books. Despite this, parents and teachers tend to select narrative rather than informational books for SBR (Bingham et al., 2018; [7] Yopp & Yopp, 2006). [66] Informational books generally aim to convey information in an engaging style, incorporate visually attractive formats and include graphics and/ or photos and illustrations to enrich and reinforce their communicative impact. They are often written in an expository fashion, and generally have a large percentage of technical and content-specific words (Mar & Rain, 2015). [43] The structure of informational books and the variety of language in them encourages adults' use of decontextualized language and provides unique opportunities for children to gain content knowledge and domain-specific vocabulary (e.g., Baldwin & Morrow, 2019; [4] Loewenberg Ball et al., 2008). [41] Further, the expository nature  [17] Apple Picking Time (Slawson, 1998: 4, 8) [61] Curious George Goes to an Ice Cream Shop (Rey, 1989: 7 ) [52] Context of the books and the frequent inclusion of access formats such as glossaries, graphs, etc. can facilitate parents' use of questioning and discourse strategies that can increase children's involvement in these interactions (Blewitt & Langan, 2016). [8] For younger children, informational picturebooks often relate to topics in the natural and social worlds -e.g., animals, science, weather, cultural traditions and practices (Duke, 2009). [19] They may also include elements from other genres, such as "how-tos", biographical information, or a more narrative style of writing. Recent years have seen an increase in multi-genre picturebooks for young children, which embed information within narrative formats, sometimes using poetry rather than prose. This trend is apparent in Mama Built a Little Nest (Ward, 2014), [65] which juxtaposes pages of poetic narrative about individual species with pages that provide information about each species' nesting habits. Another trend in informational books is highlighting connections to contemporary issues such as cultural diversity, climate change and social justice. In this vein, We are Water Protectors (Lind-strom, 2020) [40] draws upon the traditions and history of Indigenous people in North America to provide resources to support a call for action for environmental justice. The vignettes in Table 2 illustrate how parents' SBR with informational books utilize features of informational texts to foster involvement and comprehension, two cornerstones of emerging literacy.
In these vignettes, we see mothers using questions to engage and maintain the child's involvement with the reading experience and the information that is being communicated. Mothers use references to the illustrations to encourage the child's attention to details of the content, for example, the different steps that are involved in making ice cream. They also reference the illustrations to provide a visual referent for introducing new vocabulary, for example, "field". Throughout the vignettes, the questions (e.g., "how does the bear spend his winter") and prompts (e.g., "use a magnifying glass") that are characteristic of informational texts serve as scaffolds for the conversation.  (Pascoe, 2000) [48] Snow is Falling (Branley, 2000: 9) [13] From Cow to Ice Cream (Knight, 1997: 9) [38] Apples (Gibbons, 2000: 24) [27] Context

Wordless Picturebooks
Wordless picturebooks offer young children the opportunity to use a curated collection of pictures to create a story. Jalongo et al. (2002: 167) [37] describe wordless books as "pure" picturebooks, where "the pictures tell it all". Many picturebooks have a text accompanying the pictures that helps convey information or the story, and the child's task involves "filling in the gaps between the words and pictures to construct meaning" (Salisbury & Styles, 2012: 97). [54] In contrast, wordless picturebooks rely solely on the illustrations to tell the story, and often require the reader to be more involved in focused literacy conversations to construct and convey meaning from the book (Arizpe, 2013; [2] Gibson, 2016; [28] Nikolajeva & Scott, 2006; [47] Serafini, 2014). [58] Sharing wordless books offers the child an opportunity to engage in an open-ended literacy experience in which there are no right or wrong answers (Reading Rockets, 2013), [51] which can help build literacy motivation and engagement (e.g., Trelease & Giorgis, 2019). [64] Spurred by research documenting the educational benefits of engaging with wordless texts, there has been a recent upsurge in the publication of wordless books dealing with a broad range of topics including social-emotional issues of childhood (e.g., family relationships and transitions), phenomena and inhabitants of the natural world (e.g., animals, seasons), and social issues (e.g., immigration, diversity). For instance, in Fly! (Teague, 2019), [62] a baby robin counters his father's encouragement to fly with humorous alternatives in interactions that strongly resemble human parent-child exchanges. A Ball for Daisy (Raschka, 2011), [50] addresses the joys and sorrows associated with a special toy. Both of these wordless books use animal protagonists to explore a range of emotions and circumstances that occur frequently in the lives of young children and their parents. The vignettes in Table 3 illustrate how parents' SBR with wordless books models story creation and storytelling in ways that support their children's emerging literacy.  [23] Summer Riddles (Elzbieta, 1972: 12) [24] Summer Riddles (Elzbieta, 1972: 6) [24] Summer Riddles (Elzbieta, 1972: 17-18) [24] Context Bear finds an egg on the shore and prepares to make an omelette, not realizing that his friend the bird is preparing for a chick to hatch from the egg.
The bear in the story is "chasing" the moon and paddles out to an island where he sees the moon shining above a mountain.
The dog looks at the barrel of water and the bear wants the dog to get in so he can bathe him.
Bear returns to the shore and sees the puppy there. Together they play and then fall into the barrel of water. Throughout these vignettes of SBR with wordless picturebooks, we can see the child actively involved with the mother in constructing the story from the illustrations. This demonstrates Arizpe's (2013: 170) [2] idea that wordless picturebooks involve "a heightened co-authoring role that requires taking risks with the imagination, activating intertextual and cultural knowledge and trusting in the readers' ability to make sense of the story". Further, these vignettes illustrate that even without a written text, picturebooks can be used to promote both content knowledge (e.g., identifying the tops of mountains as peaks), and vocabulary (e.g., "hesitate"). Moreover, the vignettes show how, by attending to details in the pictures, children practice and strengthen visual literacy through "noticing deeply" (Holzer, 2007). [35]

Alphabet Books
Alphabet books are a common genre in children's books, and studies show that many parents regularly read alphabet books to their children (e.g., Bergman Deitcher et al., 2021; [3] Chiong & DeLoache, 2013). [14] Many alphabet books present a variety of words for each letter related to a specific theme -e.g., "artichoke", "avocado", "apple" on the "A" pages of Eating the Alphabet (Ehlert, 1989). [22] Some authors take a more conceptual approach, as in The Graphic Alphabet (Pelletier, 1996), [49] in which the author determined that "the illustration of the letterform had to retain the natural shape of the letter as well as represent the meaning of the word" (dust jacket). The visual salience of the letters in alphabet books can help draw children's attention to the print, which they may not normally consider (e.g., Neumann et al., 2015). [46] In this way, unlike the other genres discussed in this article, alphabet books focus on specific knowledge about elements of literacy, building children's awareness of letter-shapes, letter-names and letter-sounds (Bradley & Jones, 2007). [12] Indeed, research indicates that reading alphabet books is associated with children's letter knowledge and has the potential to promote their phonological awareness (Brabham et al., 2006; [11] Evans et al., 2011). [25] The vignettes in Table 4 show how parents talk about alphabetic features with their child in SBR with alphabet books.
As illustrated in the vignettes in Table 4, alphabet books elicit conversations about the sounds and meanings of words. These conversations about how variations in the structure of individual letters and words communicate differences in meaning encourage the child to look more closely at written language. Gaining this knowledge about the structure of the language gives children a greater understanding of how letters and sounds work.  [6] Laughing Letters (Ben Dor, 2006) [6] Letters in Silly Juice (Hoffer, 2005: 5) [34] Letters in Silly Juice (Hoffer, 2005: 5) [34] Context Alphabet book -page for the letter "R" Page for the letter "H" Letter "D"

SBR Across Book Genres: Implications & Future Research
Authentic parent-child SBR interactions in the home offer insights about the advantages of using different genres for this important aspect of children's early literacy experience. Selecting books that children find relatable and meaningful requires adults to consider the children themselves --developmental stage, attention span, interests, as well as their motivation. Children who show reluctance surrounding one genre may engage eagerly with another. For example, some children may satisfy their burgeoning curiosity about the natural world through informational books, while others may expand their imagination through narratives or wordless books. Future research can examine how different genres relate to children's motivation to engage in SBR.
Beyond thinking about the children, adults also need to consider their goal for the reading interaction --quiet time before bed, learning about something new, focusing on a cultural event (e.g., holiday), working through a developmental milestone or difficulty (e.g., going to the dentist for the first time, parents divorcing), among others. Using different book genres enables adults to address this broad range of circumstances and goals related to engaging in SBR. For example, learning about an upcoming holiday can be accomplished by reading a narrative about a child and the holiday, but also through an informational book about the cultural history and significance of the holiday. Including both genres opens up different types of conversations and offers the child different perspectives on the holiday. Similarly, parents who want to teach their children the alphabet can consider both stories about the alphabet as well as more traditional alphabet books that examine each letter separately. Future research can help determine effective methods for increasing parents' awareness of the characteristics of various genres and the features that make them particularly suited for different reading interactions.
Characteristics of different genres may make SBR more accessible for parents who may feel unprepared or less comfortable engaging with their children in more traditional SBR. For example, parents with limited content knowledge about a topic may utilize the questions, glossaries, and graphs that are often featured in informational books to scaffold their conversations with their children. Parents whose cultures include strong oral traditions may find that genres such as wordless storybooks offer a natural link between oral storytelling and interactions that include a physical book. Additionally, parents with more limited language and literacy skills can use alphabet books to focus directly on the building blocks (i.e., letters) of the language. Future research should focus on whether and how different genres can impact parents' attitudes towards and inclination to engage in SBR.

Conclusions
Due to its positive association with children's outcomes, doctors, educators, and various media encourage parents to start reading to their children from a very young age. While well-intentioned, this messaging for SBR may have unintended consequences by implicitly elevating narrative books over other types and portraying a narrow view of the SBR experience. Studies show that while parents naturally engage in a variety of behaviors and ways of talking during SBR, receiving guidance and support can improve the impact of SBR (e.g., Aram et al., 2013; [1] Barone et al., 2019). [5] In this light, encouraging parents to read across genres can broaden their choices and opportunities for engaging in SBR with their children.
SBR of informational, wordless, narrative, and alphabet books offers the chance for children to become involved, gain content knowledge and vocabulary, and hone visual literacy skills. Combining these benefits has the potential to yield significant positive outcomes for children in terms of language, literacy, and school learning. Furthermore, SBR with multiple genres benefits parents as well, enabling them to draw upon the features of different genres to generate a broader range of conversations about books and their meaning. Having an arsenal of genres from which to choose also provides parents with ways to consider their own and their children's unique characteristics. The interactive nature of SBR opens a space in which children and their parents collaborate to explore the content and messages within books, and the features and devices through which these are expressed and conveyed. Future research can expand our understanding of the unique potential of different genres to enhance an early childhood activity already recognized for its importance as a building block in language and literacy development.