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Picture Books

Once upon a time.... may be the oldest trick in the writer's bag, but we still fall for it—especially if it's accompanied by pictures. There's a sense in which all picture books are fairy tales (even the ones that take place in New York City or a log cabin) simply because they're able to transport us in a way words alone can't. We become part of the story viscerally, sensing the subtleties of mood and place and texture.

Not all picture books are created equal, of course. We don't go in for VeggieTales, or Disney, or Sesame Street (etc. etc.), preferring the more classic style (like Caldecott winners) and newer ones that are more artistic (as opposed to merely visual). The only thing a second-rate illustration can do is make you mourn the preeminence of Saturday morning cartoons, whereas a good one has the capacity to take you inside.

We're not trying to be snobs about this, but if we offer our children picture books to read and look at, we want them to be of the highest quality. We want the text to be excellently written, the plot well-crafted, the illustrations rich and vibrant. There's a very real sense in which a child's imagination is formed by the things he or she sees as a small human, and if they only get to look at poor drawings there's a pretty good chance their creative powers will end up severely limited.

If you've encountered the illustrations of Trina Schart Hyman, Robert McCloskey, Maurice Sendak, or Michael Morpurgo, you'll know what we're talking about. Good picture books have a way of showing us things we've always seen or imagined a little differently, tilting the canvas of the familiar to make it seem a little less so, more wild, more mysterious, more real.

Which is precisely why they're such a great way to introduce kids to reading. They don't have to know what the words say to get the gist of the story, yet when they do begin to learn what the words say, it's easier for them to grasp the meaning since they're already familiar with the basic premise. Many kids have learned to read this way, and we suspect many more will do so in the future.

That is, if they have access to quality picture books at a young age. We like them proliferating throughout the house like small landforms, squeezing out of bookcases, turning up beneath the couch and on top of dressers. Just remember—they aren't only for children. In fact, adults often need them more, to connect with their progeny, to recapture a sense of youth, or simply to rest when words stop making sense and only pictures are able to communicate.

When we say "picture book," there are a couple of things we aren't talking about: first, illustrated fiction. A great book, primarily text with illustrations here and there, are not the same as picture books, which focus on the artwork. Second, we don't include here non-fiction. There are lots of excellent science, math, biographical, and other types of picture books—we have plenty—but they are in separate sections (see below).

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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Picture Books
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85 Items found Print
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Active Filters: Caldecott Books, Honey for a Child's Heart
Abraham Lincoln
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
75th Anniversary Edition from Beautiful Feet Books
Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade
1940 Caldecott Medal winner
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$17.95
Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse
by Leo Lionni
Reissue from Dragonfly Books
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
1970 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Biggest Bear
by Lynd Ward
from Sandpiper Books
Realistic Animal Stories for Preschool-1st grade
1953 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Biggest Bear
by Lynd Ward
from Houghton Mifflin
Realistic Animal Stories for Preschool-1st grade
1953 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Biggest Bear
by Lynd Ward
from Houghton Mifflin
Realistic Animal Stories for Preschool-1st grade
1953 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Biggest Bear
by Lynd Ward
from Houghton Mifflin
Realistic Animal Stories for Preschool-1st grade
1953 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Blueberries for Sal
by Robert McCloskey
from Puffin Books
Realistic Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1949 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Blueberries for Sal
by Robert McCloskey
from Viking Press
Realistic Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1949 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$19.99
Chair For My Mother
by Vera B. Williams
from HarperCollins
Family Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1983 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Chanticleer and the Fox
by Barbara Cooney
from HarperCollins
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-3rd grade
1959 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Crow Boy
by Taro Yashima
from Puffin Books
Word Books for Preschool-2nd grade
1956 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Donde viven los monstruos (Where the Wild Things Are)
by Maurice Sendak
from HarperCollins
Fantasy for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1964 Caldecott Medal winner
in Spanish Resources (Location: FL-SPARE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Fool of the World and the Flying Ship
by Arthur Ransome
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-4th grade
1969 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$24.99
Fool of the World and the Flying Ship
by Arthur Ransome, illustrated by Uri Shulevitz
from Sunburst Book
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-4th grade
1969 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Frederick
by Leo Lionni
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
Animal Fantasy for Preschool-2nd grade
1968 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Frederick
by Leo Lionni
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
Animal Fantasy for Preschool-2nd grade
1968 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Frederick
by Leo Lionni
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
Animal Fantasy for Preschool-2nd grade
1968 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Frog and Toad Are Friends
An I Can Read Book Level 2 (Reading with Help)
by Arnold Lobel
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
1971 Caldecott Honor Book
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$4.99 $3.00 (3 in stock)
Frog and Toad Are Friends
An I Can Read Book Level 2
by Arnold Lobel
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
1971 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$11.89 (1 in stock)
Garden of Abdul Gasazi
by Chris Van Allsburg
from Houghton Mifflin
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
1980 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Gardener
by Sarah Stewart & David Small
from Sunburst Book
Realistic fiction for Kindergarten-4th grade
1998 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Grandfather's Journey
by Allen Say
Reprint from Sandpiper Books
Realistic Fiction for Kindergarten-2nd grade
1994 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Have You Seen My Duckling?
by Nancy Tafuri
from Greenwillow Books
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
1985 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
In the Small, Small Pond
by Denise Fleming
from Henry Holt and Company
Word Books for Nursery-Kindergarten
1994 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
Inch by Inch
by Leo Lionni
from Dragonfly Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
1961 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Inch by Inch
by Leo Lionni
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-2nd grade
1961 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
John Henry
by Julius Lester & Jerry Pinkney
from Puffin Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
1995 Caldecott Honor book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
John Henry
by Julius Lester & Jerry Pinkney
from Dial Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
1995 Caldecott Honor book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Jumanji
by Chris Van Allsburg, Robin Williams (Narrator)
30th Anniversary Edition from Houghton Mifflin
Animal Stories: Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
1982 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.99
Just Me
by Marie Hall Ets
Later Printing from Puffin Books
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
1966 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Little Bear's Visit
An I Can Read Book Level 1
by Else Minarik & Maurice Sendak
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for Preschool-1st grade
1962 Caldecott Honor Book
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$5.95
Little House
by Virginia Lee Burton
from Sandpiper Books
Personification Stories for Preschool-3rd grade
1943 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Madeline
by Ludwig Bemelmans
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction, Rhyming Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1940 Caldecott Honor Book
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$9.99
Make Way for Ducklings
by Robert McCloskey
from Puffin Books
Realistic Animal Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1942 Caldecott Medal winner
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$9.99
Make Way for Ducklings
by Robert McCloskey
from Viking Press
Realistic Animal Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1942 Caldecott Medal winner
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$19.99
Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present
by Charlotte Zolotow
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd grade
1963 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.95
Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present
by Charlotte Zolotow, illustrated by Maurice Sendak
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd grade
1963 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
No, David!
by David Shannon
from Scholastic Inc.
Word Books for Preschool-2nd grade
1999 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Noah's Ark
by Peter Spier
from Dell Publishing
Bible Stories for Preschool-2nd grade
1978 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Noah's Ark
by Peter Spier
1st edition from Dell Publishing
Bible Stories for Preschool-2nd grade
1978 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Noah's Ark
by Peter Spier
from Dell Publishing
Bible Stories for Preschool-2nd grade
1978 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Olivia
by Ian Falconer
from Atheneum
Animal Fantasy for Preschool-1st grade
2001 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Olivia - Board Book
by Ian Falconer
from Atheneum
Animal Fantasy for Preschool-1st grade
2001 Caldecott Honor Book
in Board Books (Location: PIC-BOARD)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Once a Mouse
by Marcia Brown
2nd edition from Aladdin Paperbacks
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1962 Caldecott Medal Winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Once a Mouse
by Marcia Brown
from Atheneum
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1962 Caldecott Medal Winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
One Morning in Maine
by Robert McCloskey
from Puffin Books
Realistic Family Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1953 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
One Morning in Maine
by Robert McCloskey
from Viking Press
Realistic Family Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1953 Caldecott Honor Book
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$18.99
Owl Moon
by Jane Yolen; illustrated by John Schoenherr
from Philomel Books
for Preschool-3rd grade
1988 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$17.99
Ox-Cart Man
by Donald Hall
from Puffin Books
Realistic Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1980 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Play with Me
by Marie Hall Ets
from Puffin Books
for Nursery-1st grade
1956 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99 $2.00 (1 in stock)
Prayer for a Child
by Rachel Field
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 1st-3rd grade
1945 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Saint George and the Dragon
by Margaret Hodges & Trina Schart Hyman
from Little, Brown & Company
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 2nd-3rd grade
1985 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Sam, Bangs & Moonshine
by Evaline Ness
from Henry Holt and Company
Allegorical and Moral Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1967 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Sam, Bangs & Moonshine
by Evaline Ness
from Holt, Rinehart and Winston
Allegorical and Moral Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1967 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Sam, Bangs & Moonshine
by Evaline Ness
from Trumpet Club
Allegorical and Moral Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1967 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$1.50 (1 in stock)
Snowflake Bentley
by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
from Houghton Mifflin
Biographies of Scientists and Inventors for 1st-3rd grade
1999 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$17.99
Snowflake Bentley
by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
from Houghton Mifflin
Biographies of Scientists and Inventors for 1st-3rd grade
1999 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Snowy Day
by Ezra Jack Keats
from Puffin Books
Poetry for Kindergarten-2nd grade
1963 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Snowy Day
by Ezra Jack Keats
from Scholastic Inc.
Poetry for Kindergarten-2nd grade
1963 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$1.50 (1 in stock)
So You Want To Be President?
by Judith St. George
from Philomel Books
for 2nd-5th grade
2001 Caldecott Medal winner
in American Presidency (Location: HISV-PRE)
$4.00 (3 in stock)
So You Want To Be President?
by Judith St. George
Reprint from Philomel Books
for 2nd-5th grade
2001 Caldecott Medal winner
in American Presidency (Location: HISV-PRE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
So You Want To Be President?
by Judith St. George
Rev Upd from Philomel Books
for 2nd-5th grade
2001 Caldecott Medal winner
in American Presidency (Location: HISV-PRE)
Song and Dance Man
by Karen Ackerman
from Dragonfly Books
for 1st-3rd grade
1989 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.99
Storm Book
by Charlotte Zolotow
from HarperCollins
for Nursery-3rd grade
1953 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Swimmy
by Leo Lionni
from Dragonfly Books
for Nursery-1st grade
1964 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble
by William Steig
from Simon and Schuster
Animal Fantasy for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1970 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble
by William Steig
from Simon and Schuster
Animal Fantasy for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1970 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Thanksgiving Story
by Alice Dalgliesh
from Simon and Schuster
Historical Fiction for 1st-3rd grade
1955 Caldecott Honor Book
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$8.99 $5.50 (2 in stock)
Three Pigs
by David Wiesner
1st edition from Clarion Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
2002 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.99
Thy Friend, Obadiah
by Brinton Turkle
from Beautiful Feet Books
Realistic Animal Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1970 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.95
Thy Friend, Obadiah (hardcover)
by Brinton Turkle
from Beautiful Feet Books
Realistic Animal Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1970 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$14.95
Thy Friend, Obadiah (hardcover)
by Brinton Turkle
from Puffin Books
Realistic Animal Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1970 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Thy Friend, Obadiah (hardcover)
by Brinton Turkle
1972 Seafarer Edition from Viking Press
Realistic Animal Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1970 Caldecott Honor Book
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Time of Wonder
by Robert McCloskey
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
1958 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Tree is Nice
by Janice Udry & Marc Simont
from HarperCollins
Non-fiction for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1957 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99 $4.50 (2 in stock)
Tree is Nice
by Janice Udry & Marc Simont
from HarperCollins
Non-fiction for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1957 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Tuesday
by David Wiesner
from Clarion Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
1992 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$17.99
When I Was Young In the Mountains
by Cynthia Rylant
from Puffin Books
Family Stories for 1st-3rd grade
1983 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
When I Was Young In the Mountains
by Cynthia Rylant
from E.P. Dutton & Co.
Family Stories for 1st-3rd grade
1983 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Where the Wild Things Are
by Maurice Sendak
from HarperCollins
Fantasy for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1964 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.95 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Where the Wild Things Are
by Maurice Sendak
25th Anniversary from HarperCollins
Fantasy for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1964 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.95 $9.00 (1 in stock)
White Snow, Bright Snow
by Alvin Tresselt
from William Morrow & Company
Poetry for 1st-3rd grade
1948 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
White Snow, Bright Snow
by Alvin Tresselt, illustrated by Roger Duvoisin
from Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books
Poetry for 1st-3rd grade
1948 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears
by Verna Aardema, Leo & Diane Dillon
from Puffin Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1976 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Zin! Zin! Zin! a Violin
by Lloyd Moss
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 1st-3rd grade
1996 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
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