As someone who loves taking and looking at photographs, I think pictures have an amazing power. July 1 is the 164^th anniversary of the first photograph being published in a newspaper, and yet – all those years later – a single photograph can still tell an entire story, mark an important moment in history, and show a powerful emotion and enhance a story or article.

Beyond photographs, illustrations can also have this same power. Look at Brian Selznick’s Wonderstruck. He tells two stories – Ben’s through words, and Rose’s through pictures. Both stories are equally descriptive, interesting, and page-turning – I enjoy both and feel a need to quickly turn the pages to see what happens next – but I love Rose’s story, shown entirely through Selznick’s images. I connect more with Rose because I can see her emotions – her fear, excitement, frustration, and joy. Not that I don’t love reading the words (I do!) but there is something special about seeing the story in pictures as well.

What books or articles do you love because of the pictures? Tell us in the comments below!

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