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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826 Items found Print
Active Filters: Preschool (Ages 4-5), Hardcover, In-Stock Books & Materials
"Stand Back," Said the Elephant, "I'm Going to Sneeze!"
by Patricia Thomas
from HarperCollins
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$19.99
"Stand Back," Said the Elephant, "I'm Going to Sneeze!"
by Patricia Thomas, illustrated by Wallace Tripp
from Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
101 Favorite Stories from the Bible
by Ura Miller
from Master Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Bible Stories for Kids (Location: BIBR-STO)
$11.99 $10.00 (1 in stock)
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 $20.00 (1 in stock)
A B C is for Christmas
by Jane Werner Watson, illustrated by Sally Augustiny
from Golden Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
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)
Adrian Simcox Does NOT Have a Horse
from Dial Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$17.99
Adventures of Beekle
by Dan Santat
from Little, Brown & Company
2015 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.99
Adventures with Words
First Adventures in Learning Program
by Adelaide Holl, illustrated by J.P. Miller
from Golden Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
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 Applesauce Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$19.95
Alexander
by Harold Littledale, illustrated by Tom Vroman
from Purple House Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.95
Alexander Kitten
Junior Elf Book #8003
by Jessica Potter Broderick; illustrated by Marge Opitz Burridge
from Rand McNally
for Preschool-1st grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Alice in Wonderland (adapted)
by Lewis Carroll (original text), illustrated by Greg Hildebrandt
from Unicorn Publishing House
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
All Kinds of Kisses
by Nancy Tafuri
from Little, Brown & Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
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)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
All My Treasures
by Jo Witek, illustrated by Christine Roussey
from Abrams Appleseed
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
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)
Amazing Adventures of Bumblebee Boy
by David Soman and Jacky Davis
from Dial Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (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)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
Ancient Ones
by Barbara Bash
from Sierra Club Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Andy: A Visit to the Hospital
Whitman Tell-A-Tale #2524
by Florence Michelson, illustrated by Hazel Hoecker
from Whitman Publishing Company
for Preschool-1st grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Angelina and the Princess
Angelina Ballerina
by Katharine Holabird
Picture Books for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.50 (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)
Angelo
by David Macaulay
1st edition from Houghton Mifflin
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
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)
Animals Build a House
Wonder Books #817
by Robert Marsia and Gilbert Delahaye
from Wonder Books
for Preschool-1st grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Animals of the Bible
by Dorothy P. Lathrop, text selected by Helen Dean Fish
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd grade
1938 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$17.99
Animals' Bus Ride
by Helen Wing; illustrated by Irma Wilde
from Rand McNally
for Preschool-1st grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Annie and the Old One
by Miska Miles; illustrated by Peter Parnall
Reprint from Little, Brown & Company
for Nursery-2nd grade
1972 Newbery Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Annie and the Old One
by Miska Miles; illustrated by Peter Parnall
from Little, Brown & Company
for Nursery-2nd grade
1972 Newbery Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Anno's Counting Book
by Mitsumasa Anno
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-1st grade
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Apple Tree Christmas
by Trinka Hakes Noble
from Sleeping Bear Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.95
Appley Dapply's Nursery Rhymes
Book 22
by Beatrix Potter
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-1st grade
in Peter Rabbit & Friends (Location: FIC-PETER)
$8.99
Arnold Lobel Book of Mother Goose
by Arnold Lobel
from Random House
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Mother Goose & Nursery Rhymes (Location: PIC-MG)
$12.00 (2 in stock)
Arnold Lobel Book of Mother Goose
by Arnold Lobel
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Mother Goose & Nursery Rhymes (Location: PIC-MG)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Arthur's Christmas Cookies
I Can Read! Level 2
by Lilian Hoban
from Harper & Row
for Preschool-2nd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse
by Eric Carle
from Philomel Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
B is for Beaver
by Marie & Roland Smith, illustrated by Michael Roydon
from Sleeping Bear Press
for nursery-3rd grade
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
$18.99 $8.50 (1 in stock)
B is for Bluegrass
Discover America State-by-State
by Mary Ann McCabe Riehle, illustrated by Wes Burgiss
from Sleeping Bear Press
for nursery-3rd grade
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
$8.50 (1 in stock)
Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave
by written by Marianna Mayer, Illustrated by K. Y. Craft
First Edition from HarperCollins
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$17.99
Babar and Father Christmas
by Jean De Brunhoff
1st edition from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.99
Babar and His Children / Tale of Benjamin Bunny
by Jean de Brunhoff (Babar); Beatrix Potter (Benjamin)
from Grolier Society
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
Babar and His Children OSI
by Jean De Brunhoff
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Babar and the Succotaash Bird
by Laurent de Brunhoff
from Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$8.50 (1 in stock)
Babar and Zephir / Tale of Squirrel Nutkin
by Jean de Brunhoff (Babar) and Beatrix Potter (Squirrel Nutkin)
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Babar's Book of Color
by Laurent de Brunhoff
from Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
for Nursery-1st grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Ball for Daisy
by Chris Raschka
from Schwartz & Wade
for Preschool-2nd grade
2012 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$17.99 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Bambi's Forest
by Joanne Ryder, illustrated by David Pacheco and Jesse Clay
1st edition from Disney Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Forests & Mountains (Location: SCI-FOREST)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Baron Rides Out
by Adrian Mitchell, illustrated by Patrick Benson
from Philomel Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Beacons of Light: Lighthouses
by Gail Gibbons
from HarperCollins
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Beak Book
by Robin Page
from Beach Lane Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$18.99
Beautiful Oops!
by Barney Saltzberg
from Workman Publishing
for Preschool-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Beauty and the Beast
by M. Charlotte Craft, K. Y. Craft
from HarperCollins
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$19.99
Because Barbara
by Sarah Mackenzie, illustrated by Eileen Ryan Ewen
from Waxwing Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$18.99
Bedtime Story
from Mondo Publishing
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Beetle Book
by Steve Jenkins
from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
$19.99
Beginner's Bible
by Karyn Henley, Kelly Pulley (illustrator)
from Zonderkidz
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Bible Stories for Kids (Location: BIBR-STO)
$22.99 $12.00 (2 in stock)
Beginner’s Gospel Story Bible
Beginner's Gospel Story Book
by Jared Kennedy, Illustrated by Trish Mahoney
from New Growth Press
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Bible Stories for Kids (Location: BIBR-STO)
$33.99
Bembo's Zoo
by Roberto de Vicq de Cumptich
from Henry Holt and Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Berry Song
by Michaela Goade
from Little, Brown & Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
2023 Caldecott Honor Book
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$18.99
Best Loved Fables of Aesop / Nonsense Alphabets
by Aesop, Joseph Jacobs, illustrated by John Tenniel and Joseph Wolf; Edward Lear (Nonsense)
from Grolier Publishing
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
Beware! Museum Bears
by Jacqueline Karas, Illustrated by Malcolm Ashman
First Ed 1st Printing from Bridgewater Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Big
by Vashti Harrison
from Little, Brown & Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
2024 Caldecott Medalist
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$19.99
Big New School
Follett Beginning-to-Read Book
by Evelyn Hastings, illustrated by Polly Jackson
from Follett Publishing Co.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Big Picture Story Bible
by David Helm
from Crossway Books
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Bible Stories for Kids (Location: BIBR-STO)
$29.99
Big Red Kangaroo
by Claire Saxby, illustrated by Graham Byrne
from Candlewick Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Big Whistle
Whitman Tell-A-Tale #2522
by Ann Tompert, illustrated by Louise Myers
from Whitman Publishing Company
for Preschool-1st grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$4.50 (2 in stock)
Billy, the Condominium Cat
by Esphyr Slobodkina
from Addison Wesley
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$17.00 (1 in stock)
Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Black and White
by David Macaulay
from Houghton Mifflin
for Preschool-3rd grade
1991 Caldecott Medal winner
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
Blackbeard's Last Fight
by Eric A. Kimmel, illustrated by Leonard Everett Fisher
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Pirates (Location: HISV-PIRATE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Blackout
by John Rocco
from Disney-Hyperion
for Preschool-2nd grade
2012 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.99
Blah Blah Black Sheep
by N. D. Wilson, illustrated by Forrest Dickison
from Canon Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.99
Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci
by Romola Anderson, R. C. Anderson
1st edition from Henry Holt and Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$19.99
Book of Giant Stories
by David L. Harrison
from American Heritage Publishing Co.
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Book With No Pictures
by B. J. Novak
from Penguin Random House
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$17.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Boy Who Loved Math
by Deborah Heiligman, illustrated by LeUyen Pham
from Roaring Brook Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Boy Who Was Raised by Librarians
by Carla Morris, illustrated by Brad Sneed
from Peachtree Publishers, Ltd.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Boy With a Drum
by David L. Harrison, illustrated by Eloise Wilkin
from Merrigold Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$14.00 (1 in stock)
Boy, a Dog, a Frog
by Mercer Mayer
from Dial Books for Young Readers
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Boy, a Dog, a Frog, and a Friend
by Mercer & Marianna Mayer
from Dial Books for Young Readers
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Brambly Hedge: The High Hills
by Jill Barklem
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
Brambly Hedge: The Sea Story
by Jill Barklem
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
Breakfast at the Liberty Diner
by Daniel Kirk
from Hyperion Books for Children
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Bremen Town Musicians
by Ilse Plume retelling Brothers Grimm
Tra from Dragonfly Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
1981 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain
by Verna Aardema, illustrated by Beatriz Vidal
from Dial Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Bubble Gum Bubble Gum
by Lisa Wheeler, illustrated by Laura Huliska-Beith
from Purple House Press
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.95
Butterfly! A Story of Magic
Whitman Tell-A-Tale #2559
by Eileen Daly, illustrated by Florence Sarah Winship
from Western Publishing
for Preschool-1st grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Cabin Key
by Gloria Rand, illustrated by Ted Rand
from Harcourt, Brace & Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Casper the Friendly Ghost and Wendy the Good Little Witch
by Harvey Cartoon Studios
1974 printing from Wonder Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Cat in the Hat Comes Back
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$9.99
Cats from Away
by Peter Parnall
from Macmillan
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Cecily Parsley's Nursery Rhymes
Book 23
by Beatrix Potter
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-1st grade
in Peter Rabbit & Friends (Location: FIC-PETER)
$6.99
Charles Darwin's Around-the-World Adventure
by Jennifer Thermes
from Abrams Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Charlie at the Zoo
by Marcus Pfister
from North-South Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Chick and the Duckling
by Mirra Ginsburg
from Macmillan
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Child of Books
by Oliver Jeffers, Sam Winston
from Candlewick Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$17.99
Child's Book of Prayers
by Sally Ann Wright and Susan K. Leigh, compilers, illustrated by Honor Ayres
from Concordia Publishing House
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Book Treasuries (Location: PIC-TRE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Child's First Steps to Virtues
by Emily Hunter
from Harvest House
for Nursery-3rd grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
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