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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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75 Items found Print
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Active Filters: Reading Roadmaps Booklists, Kindergarten (Ages 5-6), Trade Paperback
Albert
by Donna Jo Napoli
from Sandpiper Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$9.99
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
by Judith Viorst
from Atheneum
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99 $4.00 (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
Amos and Boris
by William Steig
from Square Fish Publishing
Animal Fantasy for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Angelo
by David Macaulay
1st edition from Sandpiper Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Apples to Oregon
by Deborah Hopkinson
Reprint from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Babushka Baba Yaga
by Patricia Polacco
from Putnam Juvenile
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Baby Brains
by Simon James
from Candlewick Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.99
Beauty and the Beast
by Jan Brett
from Sandpiper Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
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 House in the World
by Leo Lionni
from Dragonfly Books
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Brave Irene
by William Steig
from Square Fish Publishing
Realistic Fiction for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Caps for Sale
by Esphyr Slobodkina
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Carrot Seed
by Ruth Krauss & Crockett Johnson
from HarperCollins
Humorous Book on Botany for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Chicken Sunday
by Patricia Polacco
from PaperStar Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Chrysanthemum
by Kevin Henkes
from William Morrow & Company
Animal Fantasy for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Chrysanthemum
by Kevin Henkes
from William Morrow & Company
Animal Fantasy for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Crane Wife
by Odds Bodkin
from Sandpiper Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.00
Dandelion
by Don Freeman
from Puffin Books
Animal Fantasy for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Days of the Blackbird OSI
by Tomie dePaola
from Puffin Books
for Prescool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.99
Doctor De Soto
by William Steig
from Square Fish Publishing
Animal Fantasy for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1983 Newbery Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Duffy and the Devil
by Harve Zemach
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for Preschool-2nd grade
1974 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Each Peach Pear Plum
by Allan & Janet Ahlberg
from Puffin Books
Rhyming Story for Preschool-Kindergarten
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Emperor and the Kite
by Jane Yolen
from Putnam Juvenile
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
1968 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.99
Empty Pot
by Demi
from Henry Holt and Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$10.99
Fishing in the Air
by Sharon Creech
from HarperCollins
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Gardener
by Sarah Stewart & David Small
from Sunburst Book
Realistic fiction for Kindergarten-4th grade
1998 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Gingerbread Boy
by Paul Galdone
from Sandpiper Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
Gingerbread Boy
by Paul Galdone
from Clarion Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Harriet, You'll Drive Me Wild!
by Mem Fox, illustrated by Marla Frazee
from Sandpiper Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Henry David's House
by Henry David Thoreau
from Charlesbridge
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Humble Pie
by Jennifer Donnelly
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$13.99
It Could Always Be Worse
by Margot Zemach
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for Preschool-2nd grade
1978 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
It Could Always Be Worse
by Margot Zemach
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
1978 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Journey
by Sarah Stewart & David Small
from Sunburst Book
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
Just Plain Fancy
by Patricia Polacco
1st edition from Dragonfly Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Keeping Quilt
by Patricia Polacco
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
King Bidgood's in the Bathtub
by Audrey Wood & Don Wood
Reprint from Sandpiper Books
for Nursery-1st grade
1986 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Leo the Late Bloomer
by Robert Kraus
from HarperCollins
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.99
Letting Swift River Go
by Jane Yolen
from Little, Brown & Company
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Library
by Sarah Stewart
from Square Fish Publishing
Rhyming Books for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
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
Little Red Hen
by Paul Galdone
from Clarion Books
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Little Red Riding Hood
by Trina Schart Hyman, retelling Grimm
from Holiday House
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1984 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Little Toot
by Hardie Gramatky
from Penguin Putnam
Personification Stories for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Madeline's Rescue
by Ludwig Bemelmans
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction, Rhyming Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1954 Caldecott Medal winner
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$8.99
Magic Fan
by Keith Baker
from Sandpiper Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Man Who Walked Between the Towers
by Mordicai Gerstein
from Square Fish Publishing
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
2004 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
by Virginia Burton
from Houghton Mifflin
Personification Stories for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
Mirette on the High Wire
by Emily Arnold McCully
from PaperStar Books
Realistic Fiction for Kindergarten-2nd grade
1993 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Miss Rumphius
by Barbara Cooney
from Puffin Books
Realistic Stories for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Money Tree
by Sarah Stewart
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
Noah's Ark
by Peter Spier
from Dell Publishing
Bible Stories for Preschool-2nd grade
1978 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Norman the Doorman
by Don Freeman
from Puffin Books
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Old Henry
by Joan W. Blos
from Mulberry Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.99
Old Woman Who Named Things
by Cynthia Rylant
from Sandpiper Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
Paper John
by David Small
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Peter and the Wolf
by Sergei Prokofiev, translated by Maria Carlson and illustrated by Charles Mikolaycak
from Puffin Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Petunia
by Roger Duvoisin
from Dragonfly Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Princess and the Pea
by Hans Christian Andersen & Dorothee Duntze
from North-South Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$7.95
Relatives Came
by Cynthia Rylant
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Nursery-2nd grade
1986 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Roxaboxen
by Alice McLerran
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
Runaway Bunny
by Margaret Brown & Clement Hurd
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
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
Sky Boys
by Deborah Hopkinson
from Dragonfly Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Starring Mirette & Bellini
by Emily Arnold McCully
from PaperStar Books
Realistic Fiction for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Tale of Custard the Dragon
by Ogden Nash, Lynn Munsinger,
from Little, Brown & Company
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
The Treasure
by Uri Shulevitz
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for Preschool-2nd grade
1980 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Three Bears
by Paul Galdone
from Sandpiper Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Three Billy Goats Gruff
by Paul Galdone
from Sandpiper Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
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 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Tough Boris
by Mem Fox
from Sandpiper Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Water Hole
by Graeme Base
from Puffin Books
for Nursery-1st
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
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)
$8.99
You're Just What I Need
by Ruth Krauss
from HarperCollins
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
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