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.
Did you find this review helpful?
223 Items found Print
Active Filters: 1st grade (Ages 6-7), Perfectbound, In-Stock Books & Materials
"Slowly, Slowly, Slowly," said the Sloth
by Eric Carle
from World of Eric Carle
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
10 Little Hot Dogs
by John Himmelman
from Two Lions
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
10 Minutes till Bedtime
by Peggy Rathmann
from Puffin Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
ABC Book of Early Americana
by Eric Sloane
2012 Dover from Dover Publications
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$10.95
Abe Lincoln: The Boy Who Loved Books
by Kay Winters, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter
from Simon and Schuster
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$8.99
Adventures of Beekle
by Dan Santat
from Scholastic Inc.
2015 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
All Those Secrets of the World
by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Leslie Baker
1st edition from Little, Brown & Company
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
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)
Ancient Egyptians
History Opens Windows
by Jane Shuter
Revised and Updated from Heinemann-Raintree
for 1st-3rd grade
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
Animals on Board
Mathstart Level 2
by Stuart J. Murphy, illustrated by R.W. Alley
from HarperTrophy
for 1st-3rd grade
in Math Picture Books (Location: MATR-PIC)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Ape in a Cape
by Fritz Eichenberg
from Houghton Mifflin
for Preschool-2nd grade
1953 Caldecott Honor Book
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
$8.99
April's Kittens
by Claire Turlay Newberry
from Troll Publishing
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Are You a Snail?
Backyard Books
by Judy Allen, illustrated by Tudor Humphries
from Kingfisher
for 1st-4th grade
in Reptiles & Amphibians (Location: SCI-REPT)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Back Home
by Gloria Jean Pinkney, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
from Puffin Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Barefoot Book of Buddhist Tales
by Sherab Chodzin & Alexandra Kohn (retellers), illustrated by Marie Cameron
from Barefoot Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Barefoot Book of Riddles
by Hugh Lupton & Sophie Fatus
from Barefoot Books
for 1st-3rd grade
in Clearance: Picture Books (Location: ZCLE-PIC)
$14.99
Bedtime for Francis
by Russell Hoban, illustrated by Garth Williams
from Scholastic Inc.
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Bedtime Stories
by Thornton W. Burgess, illustrated by Carl & Mary Hauge
from Dover Publications
for 1st-5th grade
in Picture Book Treasuries (Location: PIC-TRE)
$18.99
Benny's Pennies
by Pat Brisson, illustrated by Bob Barner
from Dragonfly Books
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50 (2 in stock)
Berenstain Bears' Dollars and Sense
by Jan Berenstain, Stan Berenstain
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Better-Than-Best Purim
by Naomi Howland
PJ Library from Two Lions
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Jewish Holidays & Traditions (Location: HOLIDAY)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Beyond the Ridge
by Paul Goble
from Aladdin Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Big Moon Tortilla
by Joy Cowley, illustrated by Dyanne Strongbow
from Boyds Mill Press
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Billy and Blaze - Boxed Set
Billy and Blaze
by C. W. Anderson
from Simon and Schuster
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX)
$79.99
Biome Explorers: Destination Desert
by Laura Perdew, illustrated by Lex Cornell
from Nomad Press
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Deserts & Grasslands (Location: SCI-ECO)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Birdie's Lighthouse
by Deborah Hopkinson, illustrated by Kimberly Root
2000 Paperback from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Birrarung Wilam
by Aunty Joy Murphy & Andrew Kelly, illustrated by Lisa Kennedy
from Candlewick Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Blaze Finds Forgotten Roads
by C. W. Anderson
from Simon and Schuster
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
Blueberries for Sal
by Robert McCloskey
from Puffin Books
Realistic Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1949 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
Book for Bramble
by Lynne Garner, illustrated by Gaby Hansen
from Orchard Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Brother Eagle, Sister Sky
by Chief Seattle, illustrated by Susan Jeffers
from Puffin Books
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$8.99
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
by Bill Martin Jr.; illustrated by Eric Carle
Second Edition, 25th Anniversary Edition from Henry Holt and Company
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Buffalo Bird Girl
by S. D. Nelson
from Abrams Books for Young Readers
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.95 $6.00 (3 in stock)
Bullfrog at Magnolia Circle
Smithsonian's Backyard Collection
by Deborah Dennard, illustrated by Kristin Kest
from Soundprints
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Reptiles & Amphibians (Location: SCI-REPT)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Caleb & Kate
by William Steig
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.50 (3 in stock)
Carp for Kimiko
by Virginia Kroll, illustrated by Katherine Roundtree
from Charlesbridge
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Cat Wants Cuddles (Oh no I don't!)
by P. Crumble, illustrated by Lucinda Gifford
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Cat's Pajamas
by Frances Brundage
2005 Reissue from Green Tiger Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Catwings
A Catwings Tale Book 1
by Ursula K. Le Guin
from Atheneum
for 1st-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.99
Catwings Boxed Set
by Ursula K. Le Guin
from Atheneum
for 1st-4th grade
in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX)
$27.99
Catwings Return
A Catwings Tale Book 2
by Ursula K. Le Guin
from Atheneum
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.99
Chameleon's Colors
by Chisato Tashiro, translated by Marianne Martens
from NorthSouth
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Changing Weather
by Ashlee Klemm, illustrated by Vanessa Toye
from The Good and the Beautiful
for 1st-3rd grade
in GATB Science & Health (Location: CUR-GABSc)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
Charlotte Mason
by Lanaya Gore, illustrated by Twila Farmer
from Blue Sky Daisies
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Charlotte Mason Education (Location: HSR-METCM)
$18.95
City Colors
by Zoran Milich
from Kids Can Press
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Colors of the Wind
by J L Powers, illustrated by George Mendoza & Hayley Morgan-Sanders
from Purple House Press
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$14.99
Construction Alphabet Book
by Jerry Pallotta, illustrated by Rob Bolster
from Charlesbridge
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
$4.50 (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)
Coral Reefs
by Jason Chin
from Square Fish Publishing
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Oceanography & Marine Biology (Location: SCI-OCEAN)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Corduroy
by Don Freeman
Imagination Library Edition from Puffin Books
Personification Stories for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Coyote Places the Stars
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Daniel's Good Day
by Micha Archer
from Nancy Paulsen Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Dirt Movers
by Bobbie Kalman and Petrina Gentile
from Crabtree Publishing
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Things That Go (Location: SCI-TTGO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
DK Mighty Machines: Tractor
by Claire Llewellyn
from DK Publishing
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Things That Go (Location: SCI-TTGO)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Dollar, a Penny, How Much, and How Many?
by Brian P. Cleary, illustrated by Brian Gable
from Millbrook Press
for Preschool-1st grade
in Math Picture Books (Location: MATR-PIC)
$8.99
Egg Is Quiet
by Dianna Hutts Aston
from Chronicle Books
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Nature Study & Journaling (Location: NAT-GEN)
$9.99
Elevator Magic
by Stuart J. Murphy, illustrated by G. Bran Karas
from HarperTrophy
for Kindergarten-1st grade
in Math Picture Books (Location: MATR-PIC)
$6.99
Elves and the Shoemaker
by Freya Littledale, Illustrated by Brinton Turkle
from Scholastic Inc.
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Emma
by Wendy Kesselman, illustrated by Barbara Cooney
from Picture Yearling
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Emperor's Egg
by Martin Jenkins, illustrated by Jane Chapman
from Candlewick Press
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Etcher's Studio
by Arthur Geisert
from Houghton Mifflin
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Fair Bear Share
Mathstart Level 2
by Stuart J. Murphy, illustrated by John Speirs
from HarperTrophy
for 1st-3rd grade
in Math Picture Books (Location: MATR-PIC)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Fall Walk
by Virginia Brimhall Snow
from Gibbs M. Smith
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Nature Study & Journaling (Location: NAT-GEN)
$8.99
Finest Horse in Town
by Jacqueline Briggs Martin, illustrated by Susan Gaber
from Purple House Press
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Firefly July
by Selected by Paul B. Janeczko, Illustrated by Melissa Sweet
from Candlewick Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$8.99
Flag We Love
by Pam Munoz Ryan, illustrated by Ralph Masiello
from Charlesbridge
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in U.S. Monuments & Symbols (Location: HISV-LANUS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Flood Warning
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Stage 2
by Katharine Kenah, illustrated by Amy Schimler
from HarperCollins
for 1st-3rd grade
in Natural Disasters: Fires and Floods (Location: SCI-EARFI)
$8.99 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Forest in the Trees
by Connie McLennan
from Arbordale Publishing
for 1st-4th grade
in Nature Study & Journaling (Location: NAT-GEN)
$10.95
Fox Walked Alone
by Barbara Reid
PJ Library from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Frog Girl
by Paul Owen Lewis
from Tricycle Press
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Girl Who Thought in Pictures
by Julia Finley Mosca, illustrated by Daniel Rieley
from The Innovation Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Give Thanks to the Lord
by Karma Wilson, Illustrated by Amy June Bates
from Zonderkidz
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.99
Go, Go, Go! Kids on the Move
by Stephen R. Swinburne
from Boyds Mill Press
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.00 (4 in stock)
Goodbye Geese
by Nancy White Carlstrom, Illustrated by Ed Young
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Gorky Rises
by William Steig
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.50 (5 in stock)
Great Fuzz Frenzy
by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Growing Frogs
by Vivian French, illustrated by Alison Bartlett
from Candlewick Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Reptiles & Amphibians (Location: SCI-REPT)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Growing: Farm, School and Me!
by Reiffton School Sixth Grade Students
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Handa's Noisy Night
by Eileen Browne
from Candlewick Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Hello Rock
by Roger Bradfield
from Purple House Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Hello, Goodbye Window
by Norton Juster
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool- 2nd Grade
2006 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Hello, Red Fox
by Eric Carle
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Home Run: The Story of Babe Ruth
by Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Mike Wimmer
from Clarion Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Hondo & Fabian
by Peter McCarty
from Square Fish Publishing
for Preschool-1st grade
2003 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Horton Hears a Who!
by Dr. Seuss
UK Edition from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
How Smudge Came
by Nan Gregory, illustrated by Ron Lightburn
from Walker and Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
How We Say I Love You
by Nicole Chen, illustrated by Lenny Wen
Imagination Library Edition from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Hurry and the Monarch
by Antoine O Flatharta, illustrated by Meilo So
from Dragonfly Books
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
I Go With My Family to Grandma's
by Riki Levinson, illustrated by Diane Goode
from Trumpet Club
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
I Just Want to Say Good Night
by Rachel Isadora
from Nancy Paulsen Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
I Read Signs
from Greenwillow Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Icky Bug Shapes
by Jerry Pallotta, illustrated by Shennen Bersani
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
If You Were a Kid in a Medieval Castle
by Josh Gregory, illustrated by Sebastian Gomez
from Scholastic Inc.
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
If You Were a Kid in the Thirteen Colonies
by Wil Mara, illustrated by Lluis Farre
from Scholastic Inc.
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
If You Were a Minus Sign
by Tricia Speed Shaskan, illustrated by Francesca Carabelli
from Picture Window Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Math Picture Books (Location: MATR-PIC)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
If You Were a Plus Sign
by Tricia Speed Shaskan, illustrated by Francesca Carabelli
from Picture Window Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Math Picture Books (Location: MATR-PIC)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
In November
by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Jill Kastner
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
In the Beginning: The First Seven Days
by Davis Carman; illustrated by Anderson Carman
from Apologia Educational Ministries
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Bible Stories for Kids (Location: BIBR-STO)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
It's Fall!
by Linda Glaser, illustrated by Susan Swan
from Millbrook Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Jackrabbit and the Prairie Fire
Smithsonian Wild Heritage
by Susan Saunders, illustrated by Jo-Ellen Bosson
from Soundprints
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
123