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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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Parent Categories
Picture Books
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65 Items found Print
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Active Filters: 5th grade (Ages 10-11), Perfectbound
African-Americans in the Thirteen Colonies
by Deborah Kent
from Children's Press
for 2nd-6th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Alamo!
by George Sullivan
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
in Mexican-American War (Location: HISA-19TEX)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Amelia Earhart
by Francene Sabin and Joanne Mattern, illustrated by Karen Milone
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Battle of the Little Bighorn
by R. Conrad Stein
from Children's Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
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
Can't You Make Them Behave, King George?
by Jean Fritz
from PaperStar Books
for 4th-6th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$6.99 $4.50 (2 in stock)
Colter's Run
by Judith Edwards, illustrated by John Potter
from Falcon Press Publishing
for 5th-8th grade
in Western Expansion (1800-1898) (Location: HISA-19WES)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Disability Rights Movement
by Deborah Kent
from Children's Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Edgar Allen Poe’s Pie
by J. Patrick Lewis
from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
for 2nd-6th grade
in Math Picture Books (Location: MATR-PIC)
$7.99
Elf Owl and His Ecosystem
by Megan Noel, illustrated by Tanya Glebova
from The Good and the Beautiful
for 3rd-5th grade
in GATB Science & Health (Location: CUR-GABSc)
Ellis Island
Cornerstones of Freedom
by Melissa McDaniel
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th Grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Gandhi
by Rae Bains
from Troll Publishing
Picture Book Biography for 4th-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
George Washington Carver
by Tonya Bolden
from Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Grammar Puzzles
by Karen Bryant-Mole
from Usborne
for 4th-6th grade
in Clearance: English & Language Arts (Location: ZCLE-LAN)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
If I Were In Charge of the World and Other Worries
by Judith Viorst, illustrated by Lynne Cherry
from Aladdin Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
If You Grew Up With George Washington
If You Were There
by Ruth Belov Gross
from Scholastic Inc.
for 2nd-5th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Indian Winter
by Russell Freedman
from Scholastic Inc.
for 5th-8th grade
in Native American History (Location: HISA-19NAT)
Jackie Robinson Breaks the Color Line
Cornerstones of Freedom series
by Andrew Santella
from Scholastic Inc.
Non-fiction for 4th-6th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Joseph, Chief of the Nez Perce
by Dean Pollock
from Binford & Mort Publishing
Picture Book Biography for 5th-7th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Look Up!
by Annette LeBlanc Cate
2nd edition from Candlewick Press
for 2nd-6th grade
2014 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$8.99
Louisa May Alcott: Her Girlhood Diary
by Louisa May Alcott
from Troll Medallion
for 2nd-5th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Mary Cassatt
Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists
by Mike Venezia
from Children's Press
Picture Book Biography for 4th-6th grade
in Artists & Illustrators (Location: ELE-ARTISTS)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Mary Cassatt
Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists
by Mike Venezia
Revised from Children's Press
Picture Book Biography for 4th-6th grade
in Artists & Illustrators (Location: ELE-ARTISTS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Millions to Measure
by David M. Schwartz
from HarperTrophy
for Kindergarten-6th grade
in Math Picture Books (Location: MATR-PIC)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
N.C. Wyeth's Pilgrims
by Robert San Souci, illustrated by N.C. Wyeth
from Chronicle Books
for Kindergarten-5th grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
Poetry for Young People: Robert Louis Stevenson
by Robert Louis Stevenson
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 2nd-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Poetry for Young People: Walt Whitman
Poetry for Young People
by Walt Whitman, edited by Jonathan Levin, illustrated by Jim Burke
from Sterling Publishing Co.
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Polycarp of Smyrna
Heroes of the Faith
by Sinclair B. Ferguson
from Banner of Truth Trust
for 3rd-6th grade
in Church History for Kids (Location: XCH-KID)
$10.00
Roy Lichtenstein
Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists
by Mike Venezia
from Children's Press
Picture Book Biography for 3rd-5th grade
in Artists & Illustrators (Location: ELE-ARTISTS)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Salmon's Journey and More Northwest Coast Stories
by Robert James Challenger
from Heritage House Publishing Company
for 1st-5th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Smash!
by Mark Weakland, illustrated by Christian Cornia
from Capstone Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Physics (Location: SCI-PHY)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Story of Fort Sumter
by Eugenia Burney
from Children's Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Story of Harriet Beecher Stowe
Cornerstones of Freedom
by Maureen Ash
from Children's Press
for 4th-6th Grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Story of Marquette and Jolliet
by R. Conrad Stein
from Children's Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Story of the Alamo
by Norman Richards
from Children's Press
for 4th-6th Grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Story of the Battle of Bull Run
by Zachary Kent
from Children's Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Story of the Battle of Midway
Cornerstones of Freedom series
by Tom McGowen
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Story of the Constitution
Cornerstones of Freedom series
by Marilyn Prolman
from Scholastic Inc.
American History Reference for 4th-6th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Story of the Constitution
Cornerstones of Freedom
by Marilyn Prolman
from Children's Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Story of the Declaration of Independence
Cornerstones of Freedom series
by R. Conrad Stein
from Scholastic Inc.
American History Reference for 4th-6th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
$5.95
Story of the Election of Abraham Lincoln
from Children's Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Story of the Erie Canal
from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd.
for 4th-6th Grade
in Western Expansion (1800-1898) (Location: HISA-19WES)
$2.00 (2 in stock)
Story of the Gettysburg Address
Cornerstones of Freedom
by Kenneth Richards
from Children's Press
for 4th-6th Grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Story of the Jamestown Colony
by Gail Sakurai
from Children's Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Story of the Library of Congress
Cornerstones of Freedom series
by Gail Sakurai
from Scholastic Inc.
Non-fiction for 4th-6th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Story of the Lone Star Republic
Cornerstones of Freedom
by R. Conrad Stein
from Children's Press
for 4th-6th Grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Story of The Monitor and the Merrimac
by R. Conrad Stein
from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd.
for 4th-6th Grade
in American Civil War Era (1850-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Story of the Panama Canal
Cornerstones of Freedom series
by Barbara Gaines Winkelman
from Scholastic Inc.
Non-Fiction for 4th-6th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Story of the Reconstruction
Cornerstones of Freedom series
by Brendan January
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Story of the Roaring Twenties
Cornerstones of Freedom series
by R. Conrad Stein
from Scholastic Inc.
Non-fiction for 4th-6th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Story of the Rough Riders
Cornerstones of Freedom
by Zachary Kent
from Children's Press
for 4th-6th Grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Story of the Saigon Airlift
from Children's Press
for 4th-6th Grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Story of the Spanish-American War
Cornerstones of Freedom series
by Mary Collins
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Story of the Spirit of St. Louis
Cornerstones of Freedom
by R. Conrad Stein
from Children's Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Story of the Surrender at Yorktown
Cornerstones of Freedom
by R. Conrad Stein
from Children's Press
for 4th-6th Grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Story of the Titanic
Cornerstones of Freedom series
by Deborah Kent
from Children's Press
for 4th-7th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Story of the Vietnam Women's Memorial
Cornerstones of Freedom
by Deborah Kent
from Children's Press
for 4th-6th Grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Story of Valentine's Day
by Clyde Robert Bulla, Illustrated by Susan Estelle Kwas
from HarperTrophy
for 2nd-5th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Thud!
by Mark Weakland, illustrated by Christian Cornia
from Capstone Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Physics (Location: SCI-PHY)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Top of the World
by Steve Jenkins
from Houghton Mifflin
for 4th-6th grade
2000 NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book
in 20th Century Exploration (Location: HISW-20EXP)
$6.95
Turn of the Century
by Ellen B Jackson
2003 paperback from Charlesbridge
for 3rd-6th grade
in Everyday Life in History (Location: HISV-EVERY)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
What's the Big Idea, Ben Franklin?
by Jean Fritz
from PaperStar Books
for 4th-6th grade
in New Nation (1783-1801) (Location: HISA-18NN)
$6.99 $3.50 (3 in stock)
Whoosh!
by Mark Weakland, illustrated by Alan Brown
from Capstone Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Physics (Location: SCI-PHY)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
World War II
Cornerstones of Freedom
by R. Conrad Stein
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th Grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Zoom!
by Mark Weakland, illustrated by Paco Sordo
from Capstone Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Physics (Location: SCI-PHY)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
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