Editing Picture book (section)

{{Short description|Book with images at least as important as words}}
{{Other uses|Picture Book (disambiguation)}}
{{Confused|Photo book}}
[[File:PeterRabbit3.jpg|thumb|[[Peter Rabbit]] with his family, from ''[[The Tale of Peter Rabbit]]'' by [[Beatrix Potter]], 1902]]

A '''picture book''' combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from [[comics]], which do so primarily through sequential images. 

The images in picture books can be produced in a range of media, such as [[oil paints]], [[Acrylic paint|acrylics]], [[watercolor]], and [[Colored pencil|pencil]]. Picture books often serve as educational resources, aiding with children's language development or understanding of the world. 

Three of the earliest works in the format of modern picture books are [[Heinrich Hoffmann (author)|Heinrich Hoffmann]]'s ''[[Struwwelpeter]]'' from 1845, [[Benjamin Rabier]]'s ''Tintin-Lutin'' from 1898  and [[Beatrix Potter]]'s ''[[The Tale of Peter Rabbit]]'' from 1902. Some of the best-known picture books are [[Robert McCloskey]]'s ''[[Make Way for Ducklings]]'', [[Dr. Seuss]]'s ''[[The Cat in the Hat]]'', and [[Maurice Sendak]]'s ''[[Where the Wild Things Are]]''. The [[Caldecott Medal]] (established 1938) is awarded annually for the best American picture book. Since the mid-1960s, several children's literature awards have included a category for picture books.