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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875 Items found Print
Active Filters: 2nd grade (Ages 7-8), Trade Paperback
26 Fairmount Avenue
by Tomie dePaola
from Mondo Publishing
for 2nd-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
A is for Africa
by Ifeoma Onyefulu
Reprint from Puffin Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
Abe Lincoln Goes to Washington
by Cheryl Harness
from National Geographic
Picture Book Biography for 2nd-4th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Abiyoyo
by Pete Seeger
from Scholastic Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Abuela's Weave
by Omar S. Castaneda
Revised ed. from Lee & Low Books
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Adelita
by Tomie DePaola
Reprint from Puffin Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Aesop and Company
by Aesop, prepared by Barbara Bader and illustrated by Arthur Geisert
from Sandpiper Books
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Aesop's Fables
by Aesop, illustrated by Michael Hague
from Henry Holt and Company
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-5th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Aesop's Fables
by Aesop, illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger
from NorthSouth
for 1st-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Aesop's Fables
by Aesop, illustrated by Safaya Salter
from Gulliver Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Aesop's Fables for Children
by Aesop, illustrated by Milo Winter
Pap/Com from Dover Publications
for 2nd-5th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$14.99
Ahoy There, Little Polar Bear
by Hans de Beer
Fir from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
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
Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse
by Leo Lionni
Reissue from Dragonfly Books
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
1970 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Alexander, Who's Not (Do you hear me? I mean it!) Going to Move
by Judith Viorst
from Scholastic Inc.
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Alfie and the Big Boys
by Shirley Hughes
Reprint from Red Fox
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$13.99
Alfie and the Birthday Surprise
by Shirley Hughes
Reissue from Red Fox
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Alfie Gets in First
by Shirley Hughes
Reprint from Red Fox
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Alfie Gives a Hand
by Shirley Hughes
Reprint from Red Fox
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$13.99
Alfie Weather
by Shirley Hughes
New from Red Fox
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Alfie Wins a Prize
by Shirley Hughes
Reissue from Red Fox
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$12.99
Alfie's Alphabet
by Shirley Hughes
from Red Fox
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Alfie's Christmas
by Shirley Hughes
from Red Fox
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Alfie's Feet
by Shirley Hughes
Reprint from Red Fox
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Alfie's Numbers
by Shirley Hughes
from Red Fox
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
All the Small Poems and Fourteen More
by Valerie Worth
from Sunburst Book
Lyrical Poetry for Preschool-4th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$9.99 $5.00 (5 in stock)
All Those Secrets of the World
by Jane Yolen
1st edition from Little, Brown & Company
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Almost Gone
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Stage 2
by Steve Jenkins
from Scholastic Inc.
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
Alphabet City
by Stephen T. Johnson
from Puffin Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
1996 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
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 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Amazing Bone
by William Steig
from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Amazing Bone
by William Steig
from Square Fish Publishing
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
1977 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Amazing Life of Benjamin Franklin
by James Cross Giblin
from Scholastic Inc.
for 1st-4th grade
2001 NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$7.99
Amber on the Mountain
by Robert A. Duncan, Tony Johnston
from Puffin Books
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Amelia Bedelia and the Baby
I Can Read, Level 2
by Peggy Parish
from HarperTrophy
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
Amelia Bedelia Talks Turkey
An I Can Read Book Level 2
by Peggy Parish
from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
Amelia Bedelia Talks Turkey
An I Can Read Book Level 2
by Herman Parish, Illustrated by Lynn Sweat
from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
Amelia Bedelia Talks Turkey
An I Can Read Book Level 2
by Herman Parish, Illustrated by Lynn Sweat
from Scholastic Inc.
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
America's Paul Revere
by Esther Forbes
from Sandpiper Books
Biography for 2nd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$12.99
Amos and Boris
by William Steig
from Square Fish Publishing
Animal Fantasy for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Anansi the Spider
by Gerald McDermott
1st edition from Henry Holt and Company
for 2nd-3rd grade
1973 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Anansi the Spider Man
by Philip M. Sherlock, illustrated by Marcia Brown
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Anatole
by Eve Titus
Reprint from Dragonfly Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1957 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Anatole and the Cat
by Eve Titus, illustrated by Paul Galdone
Reprint from Dragonfly Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1958 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Andy and the Lion
by James Daugherty
from Puffin Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1939 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Angel Child, Dragon Child
by Michele Maria Surat
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Angelo
by David Macaulay
1st edition from Sandpiper Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Angus and the Cat
by Marjorie Flack
from Sunburst Book
Animal Realistic for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Angus and the Ducks
by Marjorie Flack
from Sunburst Book
Animal Realistic for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Angus Lost
by Marjorie Flack
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Animal Realistic for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Animalia
by Graeme Base
from Puffin Books
for Kindergarten-3rd
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$8.99
Animals in Winter
by Henrietta Bancroft
Revised from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$3.00 (2 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's Garden Songs
by Lena Anderson
from Scholastic Reference
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Annie and the Wild Animals
by Jan Brett
from Sandpiper Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Anno's Denmark
by Mitsumasa Anno
from Beautiful Feet Books
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$14.95
Anno's Italy PB
by Mitsumasa Anno
from Beautiful Feet Books
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$14.95
Anno's Journey
by Mitsumasa Anno
from Puffin Books
for 2nd-Adult
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Anno's Journey
by Mitsumasa Anno
from Beautiful Feet Books
for 2nd-Adult
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$14.95
Anno's Spain
by Mitsumasa Anno
from Beautiful Feet Books
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$14.95
Ant and the Elephant
by Bill Peet
from Sandpiper Books
Animal Fantasy for Preschool-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
Ant Cities
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Stage 2
by Arthur Dorros
from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
$5.99
Apple Picking Time
from Dragonfly Books
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Apples to Oregon
by Deborah Hopkinson
Reprint from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Archaeologists Dig For Clues
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Stage 2
by Kate Duke
from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Archaeology (Location: HISRF-ARCH)
$5.99 $4.00 (2 in stock)
Arctic Son
by Jean Craighead George, illustrated by Wendell Minor
from Disney-Hyperion
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Armadillo from Amarillo
by Lynne Cherry
Reprint from Sandpiper Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Armadillo Rodeo
by Jan Brett
from Scholastic Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
Arrow to the Sun
by Gerald McDermott
Reprint from Puffin Books
1975 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Arroz Con Leche
by Lulu Delacre
Bilingual from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Ashanti to Zulu
by Margaret Musgrove, Leo & Diane Dillon
from Puffin Books
Word Books for 2nd-5th grade
1977 Caldecott Medal winner
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
$8.99
At the Crossroads
by Rachel Isadora
1st Mulberry ed from Greenwillow Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Aunt Chip and the Great Triple Creek Dam Affair
by Patricia Polacco
from Trumpet Club
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Aurora Means Dawn
by Scott Russell Sanders
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Australia ABCs
Country ABCs
by Sarah Heiman
from Picture Window Books
for 1st-3rd grade
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
Babu's Song
by Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen
from Lee & Low Books
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Babushka
by Charles Mikolaycak
1st edition from Holiday House
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
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
Baby Sister for Frances
by Russell & Lillian Hoban
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Badger's Parting Gifts
by Susan Varley
from Mulberry Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Barnabas
BibleWise Books
by Carine Mackenzie
from Christian Focus Publications
for Preschool-3rd grade
in BibleTime & BibleWise Books (Location: EAR-BTW)
Baseball Saved Us
by Ken Mochizuki
from Lee & Low Books
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.95
Bear That Heard Crying
by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock & Helen Kinsey
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Beatrice's Goat
by Page McBrier
Reprint from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Beauty and the Beast
by Jan Brett
from Sandpiper Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Bedtime for Frances
by Russell Hoban
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Before There Was Mozart
by Lesa Cline-Ransome and James Ransome
2nd ed. from Beautiful Feet Books
for 1st-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$12.95
Behind the Mask
by Ruth Heller
from PaperStar Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Grammar Picture Books (Location: GRA-PIC)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Berenstain Bears' Big Book of Science and Nature
by Stan & Jan Berenstain
from Dover Publications
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
$15.99
Best Friends for Frances
by Russell & Lillian Hoban
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Best-Loved Doll
by Rebecca Caudill
from Henry Holt and Company
Personification Stories for
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$12.99
Bible Pictures to Color
Rod & Staff Preschool ABC Series
by Martha Rohrer
from Rod & Staff Publishers, Inc.
for 1st-3rd grade
Bicycle Man
by Allen Say
from Sandpiper Books
for 2nd-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Big Alfie and Annie Rose Storybook
by Shirley Hughes
from Red Fox
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$14.99
Big Bad Bruce
by Bill Peet
from Sandpiper Books
Animal Fantasy for Preschool-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
Big Ball of String
by Marion Holland
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
Big Book
by Kathleen Ruckman
from Master Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Big Frank's Fire Truck
by Leslie McGuire
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
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