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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175 Items found Print
Active Filters: Nursery (Ages 2-4), Used Books & Materials
"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)
ABC Book of God's Creatures
Little Jewel Books
by Mary M. Landis, illustrated by Lester Miller
from Rod & Staff Publishers, Inc.
for Nursery-1st grade
in Rod & Staff Phonics & Reading (Location: REA-R&S)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Amazing Animal Alphabet
by Brian Wildsmith
from Star Bright
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
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)
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 $5.00 (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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
Boy, a Dog and a Frog
by Mercer Mayer
from Puffin Books
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Bunny My Honey
by Anita Jeram
from Scholastic Inc.
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Chick & the Duckling
by Mirra Ginsburg
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Word Books for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.50 (6 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'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)
Christmas Alphabet
by Robert Sabuda
from Orchard Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$11.00 (1 in stock)
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)
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 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)
Dinosaurs
by Jane Werner Watson
1975 Printing from Golden Press
for Nursery-1st grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Don Quixote: A BabyLit Spanish Primer
by Jennifer Adams
from Gibbs M. Smith
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Board Books (Location: PIC-BOARD)
$11.99 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Dr. Seuss's ABC
by Dr. Seuss
Book Club from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Nursery-1st grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
Draw!
by Raul Colon
from Simon and Schuster
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$19.99 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Eric Carle's Animals Animals
by Eric Carle
from Puffin Books
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.50 (1 in stock)
Everybody Cooks Rice
from First Avenue Editions
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Farmer's Dozen
by Sandra Joanne Russell
Stated First Edition from Harper & Row
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Father Who Had 10 Children
by Benedicte Guettier
from Dial Books for Young Readers
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Favorite All-Time Classics
by Various Anthology
from Rand McNally
for Nursery-1st grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$48.00 (1 in stock)
Favorite Nursery Tales
by Jo Turner
1970 Edition from Golden Press
for Nursery-1st grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
First Poems of Childhood
by Tasha Tudor
from Grosset & Dunlap
for Nursery-3rd grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Foot Book
Bright & Early Books
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$9.99 $3.00 (1 in stock)
Foot Book
Bright & Early Books
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
Frog Alphabet Book
by Jerry Pallotta
from Charlesbridge
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Frog Prince
by Ulf Stark, illustrated by Silke Leffler
IKEA from KVACK!
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Giant John
by Arnold Lobel
Weekly Reader Book Club Ed. from Harper & Row
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Gift of the Magi
by O. Henry
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Realistic Fiction for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Golden Bunny
by Margaret Wise Brown, Illustrated by Leonard Weisgard
from Golden Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
Good Morning, Farm
A Whitman Giant Tell-A-Tale Book
by Betty Ren Wright, illustrated by Fred Weinman
from Whitman Publishing Company
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Grandma and Grandpa
by Helen Oxenbury
from Dial Books for Young Readers
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Great Circus Parade
by Evelyn Malone Curro
from Holt, Rinehart and Winston
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Gullywasher (bilingual)
by Joyce Rossi
from Luna Rising
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.95 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Gus was a Friendly Ghost
from William Morrow & Company
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$16.00 (1 in stock)
Have You Seen My Cat?
by Eric Carle
from Scholastic Inc.
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (2 in stock)
Hawaiian Mother Goose
by Debra Ryll; illustrated by Alexis America
from Island Heritage Publishing
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Mother Goose & Nursery Rhymes (Location: PIC-MG)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Hedgie's Surprise
by Jan Brett
from Putnam Juvenile
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
Helen Roseveare: What's in the parcel?
Little Lights #05
by Catherine Mackenzie
from Christian Focus Publications
for Nursery-1st grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Henrietta and the Day of the Iguana
by Winifred Rosen, illustrated by Kay Chorao
from Four Winds Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Hey, Diddle Diddle and other Nonsense Rhymes
A Tip-Top Elf Book
by Davi Botts (illustrator)
from Rand McNally
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Hosie's Alphabet
by Hosea, Tobias and Lisa Baskin, illustrated by Leonard Baskin
from Viking Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
1973 Caldecott Honor Book
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Hudson Taylor: Could somebody pass the salt?
Little Lights #02
by Catherine Mackenzie
from Christian Focus Publications
for Nursery-1st grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
Hush, Little Baby
from Greenwillow Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
I'll Always Love You
by Hans Wilhelm
from Scholastic Inc.
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
I'm a Big Brother
by Joanna Cole
Revised Edition from HarperCollins
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Clearance: Science & Health (Location: ZCLE-SCI)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Illustrated Comic Alphabet
by Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon
from Henry Z. Walck, Inc.
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Important Book
by Margaret Wise Brown
from HarperCollins
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.99 $2.50 (2 in stock)
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)
Jessie Willcox Smith Mother Goose
by Jessie Willcox Smith
from Derrydale Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Mother Goose & Nursery Rhymes (Location: PIC-MG)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Jesus Storybook Bible - Curriculum Kit
by Sally Lloyd-Jones
Box Har/Co from Zonderkidz
in Bible Stories for Kids (Location: BIBR-STO)
$70.00 (1 in stock)
John Knox: Who Will Save You?
Little Lights #14
by Catherine Mackenzie
from Christian Focus Publications
for Nursery-1st grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
John the Baptist
BibleTime Books
by Carine Mackenzie
from Christian Focus Publications
for Nursery-2nd grade
in BibleTime & BibleWise Books (Location: BIBR-BTW)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Johnny Crow's Garden / Andersen's Fairy Tales
by L. Leslie Brooke & Hans Christian Andersen, retold by Rose Dobbs and illustrated by Gustav Hjortlund
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Johnny the Fireman
A Tip-Top Elf Book
by Rebecca K. Sprinkle, illustrated by Ruth Wood
from Rand McNally
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Just In Case You Ever Wonder
by Max Lucado
from HarperCollins
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Kate Greenaway's Mother Goose or the Old Nursery Rhymes
by Kate Greenaway
from Gramercy Books
for Nursery-Preschool
in Mother Goose & Nursery Rhymes (Location: PIC-MG)
$7.50 (2 in stock)
Kiss is Round
by Blossom Budney, illustrated by Vladimir Bobri
1971 printing from Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$18.00 (1 in stock)
Life of Jesus for the Very Young
by Isobel Tallach
from Banner of Truth Trust
for Nursery-1st grade
in Bible Stories for Kids (Location: BIBR-STO)
$3.00 $2.00 (1 in stock)
Lion Storyteller Bedtime Book
by Bob Hartman, illustrated by Krisztina Kallai Nagy
Revised from Lion Publishing
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Book Treasuries (Location: PIC-TRE)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Little Cloud
by Eric Carle
from Philomel Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Little Lost Kitten
A Rand McNally Elf Book
by Mildred H. Comfort, illustrated by Manning de V. Lee
from Rand McNally
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Little Music Box & The Clever Toy Drum
by Enid Blyton
from Mercury Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Little Red Caboose
by Marian Potter
from Golden Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
$5.99 $3.00 (1 in stock)
Little Red Riding-Hood
A Tip-Top Elf Book
by Anne Sellers Leaf (illustrator)
from Rand McNally
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Llama Llama Mad at Mama
by Anna Dewdney
from Scholastic Inc.
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Lola Plants a Garden
by Anna McQuinn, illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw
from Charlesbridge
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Look at Annette
by Marion Walter, illustrated by Navah Haber-Schaim
1st Printing from M. Evans and Co.
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Look to the North
by Jean Craighead George, illustrated by Lucia Washburn
from HarperCollins
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Dog Books (Location: SCI-MAMDOG)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Love
by Matt De La Pena, illustrated by Loren Long
from G.P. Putnam's Sons
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Magic Leaf
by Winifred Morris & Ju-Hong Chen
from Atheneum
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Magic Talking Books: Noah's Ark
by Jo Spier, illustrator
from John C. Winston
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Marguerite de Angeli's Book of Nursery and Mother Goose Rhymes
by Marguerite de Angeli
from Doubleday & Company
for Nursery-2nd grade
1955 Caldecott Honor Book
in Mother Goose & Nursery Rhymes (Location: PIC-MG)
$9.00 (3 in stock)
Marie
Little People, BIG DREAMS
from Quarto Knows
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Board Books (Location: PIC-BOARD)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Marshmallow
by Clare Turlay Newberry
from HarperCollins
for Nursery-1st grade
1943 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Mary Engelbreit's Mother Goose
by Mary Engelbreit
from HarperCollins
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Mother Goose & Nursery Rhymes (Location: PIC-MG)
$9.00 (2 in stock)
Mixed-Up Chameleon
by Eric Carle
from HarperTrophy
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Mother Goose
by Arthur Rackham (illustrator)
from Wordsworth Classics
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Mother Goose & Nursery Rhymes (Location: PIC-MG)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Mother Goose
by Arthur Rackham (illustrator)
from Weathervane Books
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Mother Goose & Nursery Rhymes (Location: PIC-MG)
$9.00 (2 in stock)
Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes
by Arthur Rackham (illustrator)
from Viking Press
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Mother Goose & Nursery Rhymes (Location: PIC-MG)
$9.00 (2 in stock)
Mother Goose on the Loose
by Hans Wilhelm (illustrator)
2009 Edition from Sterling Publishing Co.
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Mother Goose & Nursery Rhymes (Location: PIC-MG)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Mother's Mother's Day
by Lorna Balian
from Abingdon Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?
Bright & Early Books
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House
for Nursery-1st grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$9.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Mr. Little's Noisy Car
by Richard Fowler
from EDC Publishing
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.50 (1 in stock)
My First Counting Book
by Lilian Moore
from Golden Books
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
My Very First Mother Goose
by Iona Opie
from Candlewick Press
for Nursery-kindergarten
in Mother Goose & Nursery Rhymes (Location: PIC-MG)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
My Very First Mother Goose
by Iona Opie
from Scholastic Inc.
for Nursery-kindergarten
in Mother Goose & Nursery Rhymes (Location: PIC-MG)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
My Very First Mother Goose
by Iona Opie
from Candlewick Press
for Nursery-kindergarten
in Mother Goose & Nursery Rhymes (Location: PIC-MG)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
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