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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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80 Items found Print
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Active Filters: 6th grade (Ages 11-12), Trade Paperback, New Books & Materials
Abraham Lincoln
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
75th Anniversary Edition from Beautiful Feet Books
Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade
1940 Caldecott Medal winner
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$17.95
Amazing Impossible Erie Canal
by Cheryl Harness
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Historical Non-Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
in Western Expansion (1800-1898) (Location: HISA-19WES)
$7.99
America's Paul Revere
by Esther Forbes
from Sandpiper Books
Biography for 2nd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$12.99
Anno's Journey
by Mitsumasa Anno
from Beautiful Feet Books
for 2nd-Adult
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$14.95
Bard of Avon
by Diane Stanley & Peter Vennema
from William Morrow & Company
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$9.99
Beat the Story-Drum, Pum-Pum
by Ashley Bryan
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 3rd-7th grade
$9.99 $5.50 (4 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
Benjamin Franklin
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Beautiful Feet Books
Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$17.95
Bill Peet
by Bill Peet
from Houghton Mifflin
Biography for 4th-8th grade
1990 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$19.99
Birds: Nature's Magnificent Flying Machines
by Caroline Arnold
from Charlesbridge
for 3rd-6th grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$7.95
Buffalo Bill
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Beautiful Feet Books
Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$17.95
Can You Count to a Googol?
by Robert E. Wells
from Albert Whitman & Company
for 2nd-6th grade
in Math Picture Books (Location: MATR-PIC)
$7.99
Capyboppy
by Bill Peet
from Sandpiper Books
Non-fiction for 1st-6th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
Castle
by David Macaulay
from Graphia
Architecture for 4th-8th grade
1978 Caldecott Honor Book
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$16.99
Cathedral
by David Macaulay
from Houghton Mifflin
Architecture for 4th-8th grade
1974 Caldecott Honor Book
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$12.99
Classic Poetry
by Michael Rosen & Paul Howard
Reprint from Candlewick Press
for 1st-6th grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$15.99
Cleopatra
by Diane Stanley & Peter Vennema
from William Morrow & Company
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$7.99
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
by Judi Barrett
1st edition from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 4th-6th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.99
Columbus
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Beautiful Feet Books
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$17.95
D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Yearling
Greek Mythology for 4th-8th grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$19.99 $14.00 (1 in stock)
Discovery of the Americas
by Betsy & Giulio Maestro
from HarperTrophy
for 3rd-6th grade
in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP)
$9.99
Duke Ellington
by Andrea Davis Pinkney
1st edition from Hyperion/Madison Press
for 3rd-6th grade
1999 Caldecott Honor Book
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.99
Encounter
by Jane Yolen
1st edition from Voyager Paperbacks
for 1st-6th grade
in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP)
$9.99
Exploration and Conquest
The American Story Series
by Betsy & Giulio Maestro
from HarperCollins
for 3rd-7th grade
in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP)
$11.99
George vs. George
by Rosalyn Schanzer
Reprint from National Geographic
for 3rd-6th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$6.95
George Washington
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Beautiful Feet Books
Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$17.95
George Washington
by Cheryl Harness
from National Geographic
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$8.99
Go Free or Die
by Jeri Ferris
from Carolrhoda Books, Inc.
Biography for 4th-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$9.99
Grandpa's Box
by Starr Meade
from P&R Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Bible Doctrine for Kids (Location: BIBR-DOC)
$14.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Gregor Mendel
by Cheryl Bardoe
Reprint from Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
2007 NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$9.95
Hiawatha
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
1st edition from Puffin Books
Poetry for 4th-8th
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Joan of Arc
by Diane Stanley
from HarperCollins
Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$11.99
Joan of Arc
by M. Boutet De Monvel
from Beautiful Feet Books
for 4th-7th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$13.95
Joyful Noise
by Paul Fleischman
from HarperCollins
for 2nd-6th grade
1989 Newbery Medal winner
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$6.99
Kids at Work
by Alan Temperley
from Clarion Books
for 6th-9th grade
1995 NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book
in Industrialization & Organized Labor (Location: HISA-19IND)
$11.99
Leif the Lucky
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Beautiful Feet Books
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$17.95 $12.00 (1 in stock)
Leif the Lucky
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from University of Minnesota
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$17.95
Leonardo da Vinci
by Diane Stanley
from HarperCollins
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
1997 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$11.99
Little Ships
by Louise Borden
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 2nd-6th grade
in WWII: European Theater (Location: HISA-20WW2E)
$8.99
Lives of the Musicians
by Kathleen Krull
from Sandpiper Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS)
$8.99
Lost City
by Ted Lewin
Reprint from Puffin Books
for 3rd-7th grade
in Latin American & Hispanic Culture (Location: HISMC-LAT)
$8.99
Making It Go: The Life and Work of Robert Fulton
by Don Herweck
from Teacher Created Materials, Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$7.00
Making of a Knight
by Patrick O'Brien
from Charlesbridge
Picture Books/Historical Fiction for 2nd-6th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$7.95
Mill
by David Macaulay
from Houghton Mifflin
for 4th-8th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$12.99
Minn of the Mississippi
by Holling C. Holling
from Houghton Mifflin
Realistic fiction for 3rd-8th grade
1952 Newbery Honor Book
in BFB Holling Geography (Location: HISCUR-BFG)
$12.99
Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
by Kate DiCamillo
from Candlewick Press
Personification for 4th-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$14.99
Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
by Kate DiCamillo
from Candlewick Press
Personification for 4th-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
More Perfect Union
The American Story Series
by Betsy & Giulio Maestro
from HarperCollins
Historical Reference for 2nd-6th grade
in New Nation (1783-1801) (Location: HISA-18NN)
$11.99
Multiplying Menace
by Pam Calvert
from Charlesbridge
for Grades 3rd-6th
in Math Picture Books (Location: MATR-PIC)
$7.95
Mummies Made in Egypt
by Aliki
from HarperCollins
Non-fiction for 2nd-6th grade
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
$7.99
Pocahontas
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Beautiful Feet Books
Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$17.95 $12.00 (1 in stock)
Pyramid
by David Macaulay
from Houghton Mifflin
Ancient Egyptian Architecture for 4th-8th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$12.99 $7.00 (2 in stock)
Revolutionary John Adams
by Cheryl Harness
Reprint from National Geographic
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$7.95 $5.50 (1 in stock)
Seed Is Sleepy
by Dianna Hutts Aston, Sylvia Long
from Chronicle Books
for 2nd-6th grade
in Nature Study & Journaling (Location: NAT-GEN)
$7.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Sir Cumference and All the King's Tens
by Cindy Neuschwander
from Charlesbridge
for 2nd-6th grade
in Math Picture Books (Location: MATR-PIC)
$8.99
Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi
by Cindy Neuschwander & Wayne Geehan
from Charlesbridge
for 2nd-6th grade
in Math Picture Books (Location: MATR-PIC)
$8.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Sir Cumference and the First Round Table
by Cindy Neuschwander & Wayne Geehan
from Charlesbridge
for 2nd-6th grade
in Math Picture Books (Location: MATR-PIC)
$8.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Sir Cumference and the Fracton Faire
by Cindy Neuschwander
from Charlesbridge
for 2nd-6th grade
in Math Picture Books (Location: MATR-PIC)
$7.99
Sir Cumference and the Great Knight of Angleland
by Cindy Neuschwander & Wayne Geehan
from Charlesbridge
for 2nd-6th grade
in Math Picture Books (Location: MATR-PIC)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Sir Cumference and the Isle of Immeter
by Cindy Neuschwander & Wayne Geehan
from Charlesbridge
for 2nd-6th grade
in Math Picture Books (Location: MATR-PIC)
$8.99
Sir Cumference and the Off-the-charts Dessert
by Cindy Neuschwander
from Charlesbridge
for 2nd-6th grade
in Math Picture Books (Location: MATR-PIC)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Sir Cumference and the Roundabout Battle
by Cindy Neuschwander & Wayne Geehan
from Charlesbridge
for 2nd-6th grade
in Math Picture Books (Location: MATR-PIC)
$8.99
Sir Cumference and the Sword in the Cone
by Cindy Neuschwander & Wayne Geehan
from Charlesbridge
for 2nd-6th grade
in Math Picture Books (Location: MATR-PIC)
$8.99
Sir Cumference and the Viking's Map
by Cindy Neuschwander
from Charlesbridge
for 2nd-6th grade
in Math Picture Books (Location: MATR-PIC)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Sir Cumference Gets Decima's Point
by Cindy Neuschwander & Wayne Geehan
from Charlesbridge
for 2nd-6th grade
in Math Picture Books (Location: MATR-PIC)
$8.99
Skippack School
by Marguerite de Angeli
from Herald Press
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$19.99
Space Child's Mother Goose
by Frederick Winsor, illustrated by Marian Parry
from Purple House Press
for 2nd-8th grade
in Mother Goose & Nursery Rhymes (Location: PIC-MG)
$13.95
Star-Spangled Banner
by Peter Spier
from Yearling
American History for 2nd-6th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$10.99
Starry Messenger
by Peter Sis
from Square Fish Publishing
Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade
1997 Caldecott Honor Book
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$8.99
Ten Mile Day
by Mary Ann Fraser
from Henry Holt and Company
Historical Non-Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
in History of Railroads (Location: HISA-19TRR)
$10.99
Thee, Hannah!
by Marguerite de Angeli
from Herald Press
Realistic Fiction for
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$19.99 $12.00 (1 in stock)
Thomas Jefferson
by Cheryl Harness
Reprint from National Geographic
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$7.95 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Voice of Her Own
by Kathryn Lasky, Illustrated by Paul Lee
from Candlewick Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.99
Volcano
by Patricia Lauber
from Simon and Schuster
for 3rd-6th grade
1987 Newbery Honor Book
$9.99 $6.00 (4 in stock)
War to End All Wars
by Russell Freedman
from HMH Books for Young Readers
for 4th-8th grade
in World War I (1914-1919) (Location: HISA-20WW1)
$11.99
We the People
by Lynne Cheney
Reprint from Simon and Schuster
for 4th-6th grade
in New Nation (1783-1801) (Location: HISA-18NN)
$9.99 $5.50 (2 in stock)
We the People
by Peter Spier
from Doubleday & Company
for 2nd-6th grade
in Government & Civics Resources (Location: GOV-REF)
$10.99
What's Your Angle, Pythagoras?
by Julie Ellis
from Charlesbridge
for 3rd-6th grade
in Math Picture Books (Location: MATR-PIC)
$7.99
Who's That Stepping on Plymouth Rock?
from PaperStar Books
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$6.99
William Shakespeare and the Globe
by Aliki
from HarperCollins
Biography for 4th-6th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$8.99
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