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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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Picture Books
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103 Items found Print
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Active Filters: Preschool (Ages 4-5), Perfectbound
10 Minutes till Bedtime
by Peggy Rathmann
from Puffin Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Adivina, adivinanza . . .
by Elva Macias, illustrated by Blanca Dorantes
from Ediciones Corunda
for Preschool-1st grade
in Spanish Resources (Location: FL-SPARE)
$1.50 (1 in stock)
Adventures of Beekle
by Dan Santat
from Scholastic Inc.
2015 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
All God's Critters Got a Place in the Choir
by Bill Staines (words and music), illustrated by Margot Zemach
from Puffin Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
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)
Amelia Bedelia's First Apple Pie
by Herman Parish, Illustrated by Lynne Avril
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
And It Was So
by Tasha Tudor
from Westminster Press
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Anno's U.S.A.
by Mitsumasa Anno
from Philomel Books
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
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
Beatrix Potter Mask Book
by Beatrix Potter
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Peter Rabbit & Friends (Location: FIC-PETER)
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
Book of Jonah
by Peter Spier
from Doubleday & Company
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
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
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)
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)
Christmas Cookie Sprinkle Snitcher
by Robert Kraus, illustrated by Vip
from Purple House Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$14.99
Church Mice Spread Their Wings
by Graham Oakley
from Atheneum
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
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)
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)
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
by Mo Willems
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-3rd grade
2004 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (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)
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
First Poems of Childhood
by Tasha Tudor (illustrator)
from Platt and Munk Publishers
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
Giants Come in Different Sizes
by Jolly Roger Bradfield
from Purple House Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$14.99
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
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)
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)
Hondo & Fabian
by Peter McCarty
from Square Fish Publishing
for Preschool-1st grade
2003 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Hottest, Coldest, Highest, Deepest
by Steve Jenkins
from Houghton Mifflin
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Earth Science (Location: SCI-EARTH)
I Can Read About Johnny Appleseed
by J. I. Anderson, illustrated by Drew Brook Cormack
from Troll Associates
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.00 (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 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)
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)
Insect Detective
by Steve Voake, illustrated by Charlotte Voake
from Candlewick Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
$7.99
It's Not Easy Being a Bunny
by Marilyn Sadler, illustrated by Roger Bollen
from Random House
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Just a Little Bit
from Houghton Mifflin
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Little Polar Bear, Take Me Home!
by Hans de Beer
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.50 (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)
Look and Be Grateful
by Tomie dePaola
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Lyle at the Office
by Bernard Waber
from Houghton Mifflin
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Make Way for Ducklings
by Robert McCloskey
from Scholastic Inc.
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.50 (3 in stock)
Mama, Do You Love Me?
by Barbara M. Joosse, Illustrated by Barbara Lavallee
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (2 in stock)
Mesmerized
by Mara Rockliff, illustrated by Iacopo Bruno
from Candlewick Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Milo's Hat Trick
by Jon Agee
from Dial Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Mirandy & Brother Wind
by Patricia C. McKissack, Jerry Pinkey (Illustrator)
from Dragonfly Books
Word Books for Preschool-2nd grade
1989 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Miss Twiggley's Tree
by Dorothea Fox
from Purple House Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$15.99
Moira's Birthday
by Robert Munsch, illustrated by Michael Martchenko
2012 Printing from Annick Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Mommies at Work
by Eve Merriam, illustrated by Beni Montresor
7th printing from Scholastic Book Services
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
More Than Meets the Eye
by Bob Raczka
from Millbrook Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
My House
by Richard Scarry
from Golden Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Nativity
by Julie Vivas
from Voyager Books
for Preschool-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
New Zealand Colours
by Gwenda Turner
from Puffin Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Night Before Christmas
by Clement C. Moore, illustrated by Tasha Tudor
from Little, Brown & Company
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Night is Yours
by Abdul-Razak Zachariah, illustrated by Keturah A. Bobo
from Dial Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Nine Days to Christmas
by Marie Hall Ets
from Viking Press
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
1960 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Oak Inside the Acorn
by Max Lucado, Illustrated by George Angelini
from Tommy Nelson
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
On the Go
by Ann Morris, photos by Ken Heyman
from Mulberry Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
On the Wing
by David Elliott, Illustrated by Becca Stadtlander
from Candlewick Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$6.99
Once Upon a Dime
by Nancy Kelly Allen, illustrated by Adam Doyle
from Charlesbridge
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Math Picture Books (Location: MATR-PIC)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Our Puppy's Vacation
by Ruth Brown
from Dutton Children's Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Outside Over There
by Maurice Sendak
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-2nd grade
1982 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
Pancakes for Breakfast
by Tomie DePaola
from Voyager Books
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Papa Panov's Special Christmas
by Leo Tolstoy, illustrated by Hannah Thibaudeau
from Memoria Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Patrick's Dinosaurs
by Carol Carrick, illustrated by Donald Carrick
from Clarion Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Picture Book of Helen Keller
by David A. Adler, John C. Wallner, Alexandra Wallner
from Trumpet Club
Biography for Preschool-1st grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Pierre: A Cautionary Tale
by Maurice Sendak
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.95
Poetry for You and Me
2nd edition from A Beka Books
for Preschool-Kindergarten
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$11.00 (1 in stock)
Prince Ivan and the Firebird
by Bernard Lodge
from Whispering Coyote Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Puppy Who Wanted a Boy
by Jane Thayer, Illustrated by Lisa McCue
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Quick as a Cricket
from Child's Play Ltd.
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Raccoons and Ripe Corn
by Jim Arnosky
from Mulberry Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Raising Yoder's Barn
by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Bernie Fuchs
from Little, Brown & Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf
by Lois Ehlert
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Ring Bearer
by Floyd Cooper
from Philomel Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Rosie's Walk
by Pat Hutchins
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.50 (6 in stock)
Sacajawea: Wilderness Guide
by Kate Jassem
from Troll Publishing
Biography for Preschool-2nd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Sail Away
by Donald Crews
from Scholastic Inc.
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Sand to Stone and Back Again
by Nancy Bo Flood, photography by Tony Kuyper
from Fulcrum Publishing
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Geology (Rocks & Minerals) (Location: SCI-GEO)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Sign on Rosie's Door
by Maurice Sendak
1988 reprint from Trumpet Club
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Sign Painter
by Allen Say
1st edition from Houghton Mifflin
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50 (3 in stock)
Solomon's Tree
by Andrea Spalding, illustrated by Janet Wilson
from Orca Book Publishers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Squawk to the Moon, Little Goose
by Edna Mitchell Preston, illustrated by Barbara Cooney
from Scholastic Book Services
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (3 in stock)
Teddy Bear ABC
by Laura Rinkle Johnson, illustrated by Margaret Landers Sanford
from Green Tiger Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Ten, Nine, Eight
by Molly Bang
from Greenwillow Books
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
1984 Caldecott Honor book
in Math Picture Books (Location: MATR-PIC)
$7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
The Minpins
by Roald Dahl, illustrated by Patrick Benson
from Trumpet Club
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
There's No Such Thing as a Dragon
by Jack Kent
from Dragonfly Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Three Snow Bears
by Jan Brett
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Tom
by Tomie dePaola
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Trees of the Dancing Goats
by Patricia Polacco
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Jewish Holidays & Traditions (Location: HOLIDAY)
Truck Stop
by Anne Rockwell, illustrated by Melissa Iwai
from Viking Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Tu mama es una llama?
by Deborah Guarino, illustrated by Steven Kellogg
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Spanish Resources (Location: FL-SPARE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Velveteen Rabbit
by Margery Williams
from Dragonfly Books
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
We're Going on a Bear Hunt
by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
What's It Like to be a Fish?
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Stage 1
by Wendy Pfeffer, Illustrated by Holly Keller
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Sharks & Fishes (Location: SCI-FISH)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
When Washington Crossed the Delaware
by Lynne Cheney
from Simon & Schuster Macmillan
for Preschool-3rd grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Why is the Sky Blue?
by Geraldine Taylor, illustrated by Amy Schimler
from Ladybird Books Ltd
for Nursery-1st grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Winter Sleep
by Sean Taylor & Alex Morss, illustrated by Cinyee Chiu
from Happy Yak
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
$10.99
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