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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2,151 Items found Print
Active Filters: Preschool (Ages 4-5)
"Stand Back," Said the Elephant, "I'm Going to Sneeze!"
by Patricia Thomas
from HarperCollins
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.99
¡Pío Peep!
by Alice Schertle, Alma Flor Ada, F. Isabel Campoy
Bilingual from Rayo
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
1 is One
by Tasha Tudor
from Little Simon
for Nursery-Preschool
1957 Caldecott Honor Book
in Board Books (Location: PIC-BOARD)
$8.99
1, 2, 3, Go!
by Huy Voun Lee
from Henry Holt and Company
for Preschool-3rd grade
in China (Location: HISMC-CHI)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
1,2,3 To the Zoo
by Eric Carle
Reprint from PaperStar Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
10 Hungry Rabbits
by Anita Lobel
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for Nursery-1st grade
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
10 Minutes till Bedtime
by Peggy Rathmann
from Puffin Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
101 Favorite Stories from the Bible
by Ura Miller
from New Leaf Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Bible Stories for Kids (Location: BIBR-STO)
$14.99
20th-Century Children's Book Treasury
by Janet Schulman
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Book Treasuries (Location: PIC-TRE)
$44.99
26 Letters and 99 Cents
by Tana Hoban
from Greenwillow Books
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
3 Little Golden Books Classic Collection
from Golden Books
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
329th Friend
from Four Winds Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
3D Sapshots: Puppies (with 3D glasses)
from Fog City Press
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Dog Books (Location: SCI-MAMDOG)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
A is for Aloha
by U'ilani Goldsberry, illustrated by Tammy Yee
from Sleeping Bear Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
A is for America
by Devin Scillian, illustrated by Pam Carroll
1st edition from Sleeping Bear Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
A is for Annabelle
by Tasha Tudor
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Nursery-Preschool
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
$7.99
A is for Atom
by Greg Paprocki
Brdbk from Gibbs M. Smith
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Board Books (Location: PIC-BOARD)
A is for Axel
by Kurt Browning; illustrated by Melanie Rose
1st edition from Sleeping Bear Press
for Preschool-1st grade
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
ABC Book
Books of Wonder
by C. B. Falls
from William Morrow & Company
for Nursery-1st grade
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
ABC Book
by C. B. Falls
from Dover Publications
for Nursery-1st grade
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
$7.99
ABC of Canada
by Kim Bellefontaine
Reprint from Kids Can Press
for Preschool-1st grade
in Canada (Location: HISMC-CAN)
ABC of Fashionable Animals
by Cooper Edens, Alexandra Day & Welleran Poltarnees
from Simon and Schuster
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
ABC's of Character
by Tony & Kathy Salerno with Andy Holmes, illustrated by Cesar De Castro
from Magination Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Character Building (Location: BIB-CH)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Abuela
by Arthur Dorros
from Puffin Books
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Adding: A Poem
by Christina Rossetti, illustrated by Jan Balet
from Holt, Rinehart and Winston
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
Adèle & Simon
by Barbara McClintock
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Adelita
by Tomie DePaola
Reprint from Puffin Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Adivina, adivinanza . . .
by Elva Macias, illustrated by Blanca Dorantes
from Ediciones Corunda
for Preschool-1st grade
in Spanish Resources (Location: FL-SPARE)
$1.50 (1 in stock)
Adrian Simcox Does NOT Have a Horse
from Dial Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$17.99
Adventure of Charlie and His Wheat-Straw Hat
by Berniece T. Hiser, illustrated by Mary Szilagyi
from Dodd, Mead & Co.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Adventure with Olivia Owl
from Silver Dolphin
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Look and Find Books (Location: PIC-LOOK)
Adventures of Beekle
by Dan Santat
from Little, Brown & Company
2015 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.99
Adventures of Beekle
by Dan Santat
from Scholastic Inc.
2015 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: A BabyLit Camping Primer
BabyLit
by Jennifer Adams
Brdbk from Gibbs M. Smith
for Nursery-Preschool
in Board Books (Location: PIC-BOARD)
$9.99
Adventures of Tom Thumb
by Marianna Mayer, illustrated by K. Y. Craft
First Edition from HarperCollins
for Nursery-2nd grade
Adventures of Tom Thumb
by Marianna Mayer, illustrated by K. Y. Craft
First Edition from SeaStar Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
Aesop and Company
by Aesop, prepared by Barbara Bader and illustrated by Arthur Geisert
from Sandpiper Books
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Aesop's Fables
by Aesop, illustrated by Charles Santore
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Aesop's Fables
by Aesop, illustrated by Charles Santore
Kohl's Cares Edition from Sterling Publishing Co.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Aesop's Fables
by Aesop, illustrated by Charles Santore
from Random House
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
Aesop's Fables
by Aesop, illustrated by Charles Santore
from Derrydale Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Ahoy There, Little Polar Bear
by Hans de Beer
Fir from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Akiak
by Robert J. Blake
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Albert
by Donna Jo Napoli
from Sandpiper Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$9.99
Alexander
by Harold Littledale, illustrated by Tom Vroman
from Purple House Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.95
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
by Judith Viorst
from Atheneum
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
by Judith Viorst
from Atheneum
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Alexander, the Old Town Mouse
by Peter W. Barnes and Cheryl Shaw Barnes
from VSP Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Alfie and the Big Boys
by Shirley Hughes
Reprint from Red Fox
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$13.99
Alfie and the Birthday Surprise
by Shirley Hughes
Reissue from Red Fox
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Alfie Gets in First
by Shirley Hughes
Reprint from Red Fox
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Alfie Gets in First
by Shirley Hughes
Reprint from Trumpet Club
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Alfie Gives a Hand
by Shirley Hughes
Reprint from Red Fox
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$13.99
Alfie Weather
by Shirley Hughes
New from Red Fox
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Alfie Wins a Prize
by Shirley Hughes
Reissue from Red Fox
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$12.99
Alfie's Alphabet
by Shirley Hughes
from Red Fox
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Alfie's Christmas
by Shirley Hughes
from Red Fox
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Alfie's Feet
by Shirley Hughes
Reprint from Red Fox
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Alfie's Numbers
by Shirley Hughes
from Red Fox
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Alice in Wonderland: A BabyLit Colors Primer
BabyLit
by Alison Oliver, Jennifer Adams
Brdbk from Gibbs M. Smith
for Nursery-Preschool
in Board Books (Location: PIC-BOARD)
$11.99
All Aboard! Pacific Northwest
All Aboard!
by Kevin Meyers, Haily Meyers
1st edition from Gibbs M. Smith
for Nursery-Preschool
in Board Books (Location: PIC-BOARD)
$11.99
All Aboard! Paris
All Aboard!
by Kevin Meyers, Haily Meyers
1st edition from Gibbs M. Smith
for Nursery-Preschool
in Board Books (Location: PIC-BOARD)
All Falling Down
by Gene Zion, illustrated by Margaret Bloy Graham
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-1st grade
1952 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
All God's Critters Got a Place in the Choir
by Bill Staines (words and music), illustrated by Margot Zemach
from Puffin Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
All Kinds of Signs
by Seymour Reit, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman
from Golden Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
All the Small Poems and Fourteen More
by Valerie Worth
from Sunburst Book
Lyrical Poetry for Preschool-4th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$9.99 $5.00 (5 in stock)
All the World
by Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Marla Frazee
1st edition from Beach Lane Books
for Preschool-3rd grade
2010 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
All the World's a Stage
by Rebecca Piatt Davidson, illustrated by Anita Lobel
from Greenwillow Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
All Those Secrets of the World
by Jane Yolen
1st edition from Little, Brown & Company
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Alma and How She Got Her Name
by Juana Martine-Neal
from Candlewick Press
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Alphabatics
by Suse MacDonald
Reprint from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Nursery-1st grade
1987 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Alphabet Book
by P. D. Eastman
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
Alphabet City
by Stephen T. Johnson
from Puffin Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
1996 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Alphabet From A to Z
Facsimile from Western Publishing
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Alphabet Soup
by Scott Gustafson
from Greenwich Workshop Press
Realistic Fiction for Nursery-1st grade
1987 Newbery Medal winner
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
Alvin Ailey
by Andrea Davis Pinkney; illustrated by Brian Pinkney
from Hyperion Books for Children
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Alvin Ailey
by Andrea Davis Pinkney; illustrated by Brian Pinkney
from Hyperion Books for Children
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Always Room for One More
by Sorche Nic Leodhas
from Henry Holt and Company
for Preschool-3rd grade
1966 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$10.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Amazing Animal Alphabet
by Brian Wildsmith
from Star Bright
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
Amazing Peace
by Maya Angelou, illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher
from Schwartz & Wade
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Amelia Bedelia's First Apple Pie
by Herman Parish, Illustrated by Lynne Avril
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
America the Beautiful
by Katharine Lee Bates
from Little, Brown & Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
America: A Patriotic Primer
by Lynne Cheney
from Simon and Schuster
for Preschool-2nd grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$5.00 (2 in stock)
Anansi and the Moss-covered Rock
by Eric A. Kimmel
Reprint from Holiday House
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Anatole and His Donkey
by Laurent de Brunhoff, translated from the French by Richard Howard
from Macmillan
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
Ancient Ones
by Barbara Bash
from Sierra Club Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
And I Mean It, Stanley
by Crosby Bonsall
1st edition from HarperCrest
for Preschool-1st grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
And It Was So
by Tasha Tudor
from Westminster Press
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Angel Child, Dragon Child
by Michele Maria Surat
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Angel in the Waters
by Regina Doman; illustrated by Ben Hatke
from Sophia Institute Press
Realistic Fiction for Preschool-Kindergarten
in Pregnancy & Infant Care (Location: PRE-INF)
$9.95
Angelina and Alice
by Katharine Holabird
1st edition from Clarkson Potter Publishers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Angelina's Baby Sister
by Katharine Holabird; illustrated by Helen Craig
1st edition from Clarkson Potter Publishers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Angelina's Birthday
by Katharine Holabird; illustrated by Helen Craig
First Edition from Pleasant Company Publications, Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Angelo
by David Macaulay
1st edition from Sandpiper Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Angels' Alphabet
by Hilda Van Stockum
from Bethlehem Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
Angus and the Cat
by Marjorie Flack
from Sunburst Book
Animal Realistic for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Angus and the Ducks
by Marjorie Flack
from Sunburst Book
Animal Realistic for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Angus Lost
by Marjorie Flack
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Animal Realistic for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Angus Set
by Marjorie Flack
from Sunburst Book
Animal Realistic for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$24.27
Animal Characters
by Jean Christian Knaff
from Picture Book Studio
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
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