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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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568 Items found Print
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Active Filters: Nursery (Ages 2-4)
"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
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 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)
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)
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 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)
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
Adelita
by Tomie DePaola
Reprint from Puffin Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
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
Alexander
by Harold Littledale, illustrated by Tom Vroman
from Purple House Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.95
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)
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)
Amazing Animal Alphabet
by Brian Wildsmith
from Star Bright
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
Angels' Alphabet
by Hilda Van Stockum
from Bethlehem Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
Animals in the Zoo
by Feodor Rojankovsky
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Animals on the Farm
by Feodor Rojankovsky
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Ann Likes Red
by Dorothy Z. Seymour
from Purple House Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Anna Karenina: A BabyLit Fashion Primer
BabyLit
by Jennifer Adams
Brdbk from Gibbs M. Smith
for Nursery-Preschool
in Board Books (Location: PIC-BOARD)
$9.99
Annie and the Old One
by Miska Miles, Peter Parnall
Reprint from Little, Brown & Company
for Nursery-1st grade
1972 Newbery Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
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)
Apple Strudel Soldier
by Tom McGowen, illustrated by John E. Johnson
from Follett Publishing Co.
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
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)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
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)
$7.99
Are You My Friend Today?
by Gyo Fujikawa
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
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)
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)
Babar's Picnic
by Laurent de Brunhoff, translated by Merle Haas
from Random House
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$32.00 (1 in stock)
Baby's Book of Animals
by Roger Priddy
from DK Publishing
for Nursery-1st grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Beatrix Potter Mask Book
by Beatrix Potter
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Peter Rabbit & Friends (Location: FIC-PETER)
Beginner's Bible
by Karyn Henley, Kelly Pulley (illustrator)
from Zonderkidz
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Bible Stories for Kids (Location: BIBR-STO)
$22.99
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)
$18.00 (1 in stock)
Benjamin Dilley's Thirsty Camel
by Roger Bradfield
from Purple House Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.95
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)
BibleTime Series
by Carine MacKenzie
from Christian Focus Publications
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Bible Stories for Kids (Location: BIBR-STO)
Big Book of Nursery Rhymes
Calla Editions
by Charles Robinson
Calla from Dover Publications
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Picture Book Treasuries (Location: PIC-TRE)
Big Green Pocketbook
by Candice Ransom & Felicia Bond
from HarperCollins
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Big Picture Story Bible
by David Helm
from Crossway Books
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Bible Stories for Kids (Location: BIBR-STO)
$23.99
Bony-Legs
by Joanna Cole, illustrated by Dirk Zimmer
from Scholastic Inc.
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Boy, a Dog and a Frog
by Mercer Mayer
from Puffin Books
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (2 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)
$7.99
Brambleberrys Animal Book of Big & Small Shapes
Brambleberrys Animal Book
by Marianna Mayer, illustrated by Gerald McDermott
from Boyds Mill Press
Word Books for Nursery-Kindergarten
Brambleberrys Animal Book of Colors
Brambleberrys Animal Book
by Marianna Mayer, illustrated by Gerald McDermott
from Boyds Mill Press
Word Books for Nursery-Kindergarten
Brother Sun, Sister Moon
by Katherine Paterson, Saint Francis of Assisi; illustrated by Pamela Dalton
from Chronicle Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
by Bill Martin Jr. & Eric Carle
from Henry Holt and Company
Word Books/Animal Stories for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Board Books (Location: PIC-BOARD)
$8.99 $5.00 (4 in stock)
Brown Cow Farm
by Dahlov Ipcar
First Edition from Doubleday & Company
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$10.00 (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
Bundle Book
from Harper & Brothers
for Nursery-1st grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
Bunny My Honey
by Anita Jeram
from Scholastic Inc.
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Bushels of Bears
by Sue Hegarty, illustrated by Alice Shaw
from Zon International
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
C is for Castle
by Greg Paprocki
Brdbk from Gibbs M. Smith
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Board Books (Location: PIC-BOARD)
Caps for Sale
by Esphyr Slobodkina
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99 $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 (5 in stock)
Carrot Seed
by Ruth Krauss & Crockett Johnson
from HarperFestival
Humorous Book on Botany for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Board Books (Location: PIC-BOARD)
$9.99
Cat in the Hat Comes Back
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$9.99 $4.50 (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
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)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Chick & the Duckling
by Mirra Ginsburg
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Word Books for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.50 (8 in stock)
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
by Bill Martin Jr., John Archambault
Reprint from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
by Bill Martin Jr., John Archambault
from Little Simon
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Board Books (Location: PIC-BOARD)
Child of Books
by Oliver Jeffers, Sam Winston
from Candlewick Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Child's Garden of Verses
by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by Ruth Mary Hallock
from Barnes & Noble
for Nursery-3rd grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Child's Good Night Book
by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Jean Charlot
from HarperCollins
for Nursery-Kindergarten
1944 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Christian Mother Goose Book
by Marjorie Ainsborough Decker
Eighth Printing, July 1982 from Decker Press
for Nursery-1st grade
in Mother Goose & Nursery Rhymes (Location: PIC-MG)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Christmas Alphabet
by Robert Sabuda
from Orchard Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$11.00 (1 in stock)
Christmas Carol: A BabyLit Colors Primer
BabyLit
by Alison Oliver, Jennifer Adams
Brdbk from Gibbs M. Smith
in Board Books (Location: PIC-BOARD)
$11.99
Christmas Cookie Sprinkle Snitcher
by Robert Kraus, illustrated by Vip
from Purple House Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$14.99
Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey
by Susan Wojciechowski, illustrated by P. J. Lynch
20th Anniversary from Candlewick Press
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Cinderella
by Charles Perrault, illustrated by Shirley Hughes
from Henry Z. Walck, Inc.
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Circus Numbers
by Rodney Peppe
Revised from Delacorte Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
City Seen from A to Z
by Rachel Isadora
from Greenwillow Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Classic Bedtime Stories
by Scott Gustafson
from Greenwich Workshop Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$14.00 (1 in stock)
Classic Fairy Tales
by Scott Gustafson
from Greenwich Workshop Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
Classic Tale of Peter Rabbit (abridged)
by Beatrix Potter, illustrated by Charles Santore
from Applesauce Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Peter Rabbit & Friends (Location: FIC-PETER)
Color Kittens
by Margaret Wise Brown
from Golden Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
$4.99
Color Zoo
by Lois Ehlert
1st edition from HarperCollins
for Nursery-1st grade
1990 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Color Zoo
by Lois Ehlert
1st edition from HarperCollins
for Nursery-1st grade
1990 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Complete Adventures of Peter Rabbit
by Beatrix Potter
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Complete Mother Goose
by Ethel F. Betts
1st edition from Dilithium Press, Ltd.
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Mother Goose & Nursery Rhymes (Location: PIC-MG)
Complete Mother Goose
by Ethel F. Betts
from Longmeadow Press
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Mother Goose & Nursery Rhymes (Location: PIC-MG)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Cookie House
by Margaret Hillert, illustrated by K. Y. Craft
from Follett Publishing Co.
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes
by Dubose Heyward
from Sandpiper Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Cupid and Psyche
by M. Charlotte Craft & K. Y. Craft
from Morrow Junior Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$19.99
Curious Garden
by Peter Brown
from Little, Brown & Company
for Nursery-2nd grade
E.B. White Read Aloud Award
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.99
Daddy is Home!
by David Blomquist, illustrated by Aliki, music by Larry Grossman
from Holt, Rinehart and Winston
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$14.00 (1 in stock)
David and Goliath
by Barbara Shook Hazen
from Golden Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
Day at the Seashore
by Kathryn Jackson, Byron Jackson
from Golden Books
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
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