News at Eleven: [Anthony] Browne said that he would

use his two-year stint as laureate to focus on the appreciation of picture books, and the reading of both pictures and words. "Picture books are for everybody at any age, not books to be left behind as we grow older. The best ones leave a tantalising gap between the pictures and the words, a gap that is filled by the reader's imagination, adding so much to the excitement of reading a book," he said. "Sometimes I hear parents encouraging their children to read what they call proper books (books without pictures), at an earlier and earlier age. This makes me sad, as picture books are perfect for sharing, and not just with the youngest children."

from The Guardian: Gorilla artist Anthony Browne becomes children's laureate
also The Guardian: Picture this: the new children's laureate Anthony Browne

~~~~~~~~~~~