best picture books
📖 Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst. From the moment Alexander wakes up, everything goes wrong – from gum in his hair to a fight with his best friend to lima beans for dinner and kissing on TV.
📖 Alfie: The Turtle that Disappeared by Thyra Heder. This clever picture book explores the relationship between a little girl, Nia, and her pet turtle, Alfie. The night before Nia’s seventh birthday, Alfie sets off on a mission to find a special present for his best friend. Eventually, he finds the perfect gift and makes it back just in time for her (eighth) birthday party. Kids will appreciate the humorous description of Alfie’s great adventures.
📖 Andrew Henry’s Meadow by Doris Burn. Feeling lonely and unappreciated, Andrew Henry makes up his mind to run away from home. One by one, the other kids from the neighborhood join him, and soon the meadow is filled with fabulous houses designed and built by Andrew Henry himself.
📖 Are You My Mother? by PD Eastman. As soon as he hatches, baby bird sets off on an adventure in search of his mother, although he has no idea what she looks like. Along the way, he meets all kinds of creatures who are not his mother, including a cow, a hen, and a steam shovel.
📖 The Big Orange Splot by Daniel Pinkwater. Mr. Plumbean lives on a very ‘neat street’ – until one day a seagull splashes his roof with orange paint. When he decides that he wants to keep his big orange splot, the neighbors are annoyed with him, until he begins to convince each of them to embrace their individuality.
📖 Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey. Sal and her mom come across a mother bear and her cub while picking blueberries in the Maine countryside in this gentle 1948 Caldecott Honor Book. Also see McCloskey’s One Morning in Maine.
📖 The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss. A little boy plants a carrot seed. Everyone tells him that it won’t come up, but still he waters it every day, until finally, one day…it comes up!
📖 Cars and Trucks and Things That Go by Richard Scarry. Prepare to spend hours flipping through page after page of planes, trains, cars, and trucks. There is no plot, but there are tons of detailed (and clever) illustrations to pore over and discuss. Perfect for kids who are obsessed with motor vehicles. Also by Richard Scarry: What Do People Do All Day? and Busy, Busy Town.
📖 Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type by Doreen Cronin. “Farmer Brown has a problem. His cows like to type. All day long he hears: Click, Clack, MOO.” Things really get interesting when the cows start making demands on Farmer Brown.
📖 Corduroy by Don Freeman. Corduroy is a little teddy bear who spends his days in a department store, just waiting for a child to come along and take him home.
📖 The Curious Garden by Peter Brown. Liam, a nature-loving boy, brightens up his drab, grey city with his watering can, his pruning shears, and a lot of hard work and patience in this charming modern classic.
📖 Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems. The bus driver has to take a little break, but before he goes, there’s just one thing you need to know: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! The pigeon really, really wants to drive the bus, though, and he promises he’ll be careful. Also look for the other books in the Pigeon series.
📖 Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett. ‘On a cold afternoon, in a cold little town,’ young Annabelle discovers a box full of beautiful, magic yarn. Before long, she’s busily knitting brightly-colored sweaters for everyone–and everything–in her town.
📖 Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss. “I am Sam. Sam I am. I do not like green eggs and ham.” This is a favorite among a large collection of rhyming Dr. Seuss books; also see Fox in Socks, The Foot Book, Hop on Pop, The Cat in the Hat, and many more.
📖 Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson. “One evening, after thinking it over for some time, Harold decided to go for a walk in the moonlight.” Read about Harold’s adventures with his magical purple crayon in this timeless classic.
📖 Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion. “Harry was a white dog with black spots who liked everything, except…getting a bath.” After a day of exploring, though, he’s so dirty that he looks like a black dog with white spots. Also see No Roses for Harry! and Harry and the Lady Next Door.
📖 Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth by Oliver Jeffers. Here We Are, which Jeffers wrote as a user’s guide for his newborn son, imparts a series of essential life lessons with simple text and lavish, clever illustrations.
📖 Home in the Woods by Eliza Wheeler. It’s the Great Depression, and 6-year-old Marvel’s father has died. With her mother and seven siblings, Marvel moves into a tar-paper shack that they come across deep in the Wisconsin woods. Over the next year, the family works together to turn their shack into a warm and cozy home. This is a lovely story based on the childhood experiences of the author’s grandmother.
📖 A Hungry Lion, or A Dwindling Assortment of Animals by Lucy Ruth Cummins. “Once upon a time, there was a very hungry lion and some adorable little animals…What do you think happened next?” This is a darkly funny book; not a great choice for sensitive children.
📖 I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew by Dr. Seuss. Facing some challenges at home, our narrator sets off on a journey to reach the fabled town of Solla Sollew, “on the banks of the beautiful River Wah-Hoo, where they never have troubles! At least, very few.” He confronts terrible hardships along the way, and when he finally reaches Solla Sollew, he finds that it may not be the answer to his problems after all.
📖 I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen. Bear is missing his hat, and he wants it back. He politely asks every animal he meets, but not one has seen his hat...or have they? Also see This Is Not My Hat and We Found a Hat.
📖 Julian is a Mermaid by Jessica Love. Julian is an earnest, exuberant little boy who just loves mermaids. With a little help from Abuela, he creates his own mermaid costume and finds his way to a mermaid parade.
📖 Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems. Trixie and her beloved Knuffle Bunny accompany Dad to the laundromat, but things go very wrong when Knuffle Bunny is left behind and Trixie–who can’t yet speak words–is unable to explain the problem to Dad. Also see the sequel, Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity.
📖 Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena. After church on Sunday, CJ and his nana ride the bus down to the last stop on Market Street for a special outing. Along the way, CJ experiences the city and learns some important lessons from his kind, patient nana. This sweet picture book was awarded the 2016 Newbery Medal along with many other accolades.
📖 Leave Me Alone! by Vera Brosgol. A harried grandmother leaves her noisy, crowded house and sets off on an epic journey in search of a quiet place where she can be left in peace to finish her knitting. Along the way, she comes across an assortment of curious and obnoxious creatures, from bears to goats to little green moon-men. Brosgol’s Leave Me Alone! is a very funny and totally unique story: How many children’s books culminate with a cranky grandma hauling a bag full of knitting through an intergalactic wormhole?
📖 The Legend of Rock, Paper, Scissors by Drew Daywalt. Here’s the must-read origin story of the classic game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. Meet the three greatest warriors of all-time: Rock of the Kingdom of Backyard, Paper of the Empire of Mom’s Home Office, and Scissors of the Kitchen Realm. Each of these undefeated heroes will meet for the first time in an epic showdown in the great cavern of Two-Car Garage. Very funny.
📖 The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton. “Once upon a time, there was a Little House way out in the country.” Eventually, the countryside becomes city, and the sad Little House finds herself surrounded by large buildings…until one day she is transported back to the countryside where she belongs.
📖 Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey. Mr. and Mrs. Mallard search for a safe spot to raise their ducklings in Boston’s Public Garden in this 1941 Caldecott Medal winner.
📖 Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton. Mike Mulligan and his loyal steam shovel, Mary Anne, share adventures and hardships in this 1939 classic with a happy ending. Also see Katy and the Big Snow.
📖 The Mitten by Jan Brett. Baba knits a pair of snow white mittens for Nikki, but as soon as he takes them outside, one of the mitten falls into the snow. An impressive procession of curious woodland critters crawl into the mitten and make themselves right at home.
📖 The Napping House by Audrey Brown. “There is a house, a napping house, where everyone is sleeping…” This cozy, cumulative story is enhanced by charming illustrations and a sing-song text.
📖 Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall. In this classic picture book, a New England farmer packs up the goods that his family has made throughout the year and brings them to the marketplace in Portsmouth.
📖 Punk Farm by Jarrett Krosoczka. Following a hard day of work on the farm, Farmer Joe heads home to bed, but Cow, Pig, Goat, Sheep, and Chicken–the members of the band Punk Farm–have to get ready for their big show. Also see Punk Farm on Tour.
📖 Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen. Sam and Dave have big plans: they are going to dig a massive hole, and they won’t stop until they find something truly spectacular. Kids will enjoy the clever illustrations and dry humor of this 2015 Caldecott Honor Book.
📖 The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. A little boy explores the city on a snowy day in this 1963 Caldecott Medal winner.
📖 The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf. While all the other bulls run and jump and butt their heads together, gentle Ferdinand prefers to sit under his favorite cork tree and smell the flowers.
📖 Teacup by Rebecca Young. Carrying only a teacup filled with earth from his native land, a boy sets out alone in search of a new homeland. This poignant allegorical story could serve as a starting point for a discussion of the immigrant experience.
📖 The Wall in the Middle of the Book by Jon Agee. The cheery yet dimwitted knight is confident that the wall in the middle of the book will protect him from the scary creatures on the other side, but he fails to recognize a dangerous situation emerging on his own side of the wall.
📖 Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. After getting into some mischief and being sent to bed without any dinner, Max finds himself transported to the island where the Wild Things live. Let the wild rumpus start! Winner of the Caldecott Medal.
