They do not have a precise understanding of yesterday, today, or tomorrow. It is important that picture books have an equal partnership between words and pictures.
Children expand their knowledge of the world through books.
If a book's topic is alien to children's experiences, pictures help them visualize what they have never seen. Together, pictures and context facilitate children's efforts to expand their vocabulary. At this age, children begin to have a sense of competency and seek autonomy, independence, and control. This very independence can make them fearful of elements they can't control, including their own emotions. Complicating the issue of fear is their inability to separate fantasy from reality.