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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205 Items found Print
Active Filters: Nursery (Ages 2-4), Hardcover, In-Stock Books & Materials
"Stand Back," Said the Elephant, "I'm Going to Sneeze!"
by Patricia Thomas
from HarperCollins
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.99
3 Little Golden Books Classic Collection
from Golden Books
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Alexander
by Harold Littledale, illustrated by Tom Vroman
from Purple House Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.95
Alphabet From A to Z
Facsimile from Western Publishing
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Annie and the Old One
by Miska Miles; illustrated by Peter Parnall
Reprint from Little, Brown & Company
for Nursery-2nd grade
1972 Newbery Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Annie and the Old One
by Miska Miles; illustrated by Peter Parnall
from Little, Brown & Company
for Nursery-2nd grade
1972 Newbery Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Appley Dapply's Nursery Rhymes
Book 22
by Beatrix Potter
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-1st grade
in Peter Rabbit & Friends (Location: FIC-PETER)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Appley Dapply's Nursery Rhymes
Book 22
by Beatrix Potter
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-1st grade
in Peter Rabbit & Friends (Location: FIC-PETER)
$7.99
B is for Beaver
by Marie & Roland Smith, illustrated by Michael Roydon
from Sleeping Bear Press
for nursery-3rd grade
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
$18.99 $8.50 (1 in stock)
Babar's Book of Color
by Laurent de Brunhoff
from Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
for Nursery-1st grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Babar's Picnic
by Laurent de Brunhoff, translated by Merle Haas
from Random House
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$32.00 (1 in stock)
Baby's Book of Animals
by Roger Priddy
from DK Publishing
for Nursery-1st grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Beginner's Bible
by Karyn Henley, Kelly Pulley (illustrator)
from Zonderkidz
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Bible Stories for Kids (Location: BIBR-STO)
$22.99
Benjamin Dilley's Thirsty Camel
by Roger Bradfield
from Purple House Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.95
Beware! Museum Bears
by Jacqueline Karas, Illustrated by Malcolm Ashman
First Ed 1st Printing from Bridgewater Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Big Picture Story Bible
by David Helm
from Crossway Books
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Bible Stories for Kids (Location: BIBR-STO)
$29.99
Boy, a Dog, a Frog
by Mercer Mayer
from Dial Books for Young Readers
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Boy, a Dog, a Frog, and a Friend
by Mercer & Marianna Mayer
from Dial Books for Young Readers
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Bubble Gum Bubble Gum
by Lisa Wheeler, illustrated by Laura Huliska-Beith
from Purple House Press
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.95
Bushels of Bears
by Sue Hegarty, illustrated by Alice Shaw
from Zon International
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Cat in the Hat Comes Back
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$9.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Cecily Parsley's Nursery Rhymes
Book 23
by Beatrix Potter
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-1st grade
in Peter Rabbit & Friends (Location: FIC-PETER)
$6.99
Cecily Parsley's Nursery Rhymes
Book 23
by Beatrix Potter
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-1st grade
in Peter Rabbit & Friends (Location: FIC-PETER)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Child of Books
by Oliver Jeffers, Sam Winston
from Candlewick Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$17.99
Christian Mother Goose Book
by Marjorie Ainsborough Decker
Eighth Printing, July 1982 from Decker Press
for Nursery-1st grade
in Mother Goose & Nursery Rhymes (Location: PIC-MG)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Christmas Alphabet
by Robert Sabuda
from Orchard Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$11.00 (1 in stock)
City Seen from A to Z
by Rachel Isadora
from Greenwillow Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Classic Bedtime Stories
by Scott Gustafson
from Greenwich Workshop Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$14.00 (1 in stock)
Color Kittens
by Margaret Wise Brown
from Golden Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
$4.99
Color Zoo
by Lois Ehlert
1st edition from HarperCollins
for Nursery-1st grade
1990 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Complete Mother Goose
by Ethel F. Betts
from Longmeadow Press
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Mother Goose & Nursery Rhymes (Location: PIC-MG)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Cupid and Psyche
by M. Charlotte Craft & K. Y. Craft
from Morrow Junior Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$19.99
Curious Garden
by Peter Brown
from Little, Brown & Company
for Nursery-2nd grade
E.B. White Read Aloud Award
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.99
Daddy is Home!
by David Blomquist, illustrated by Aliki, music by Larry Grossman
from Holt, Rinehart and Winston
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$14.00 (1 in stock)
Day on Skates
by Hilda van Stockum
from Bethlehem Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
1935 Newbery Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$19.95
Digger Dan
Tell-A-Tale Books
by Patricia Lynn, illustrated by Si Frankel
from Whitman Publishing Company
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too?
by Eric Carle
from Scholastic Inc.
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Draw!
by Raul Colon
from Simon and Schuster
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Easter Egg Artists
by Adrienne Adams
from Charles Scribner's Sons
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Easter Egg Artists
by Adrienne Adams
from Charles Scribner's Sons
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Eloise Wilkin Stories
by Eloise Wilkin
from Golden Books
Nine Beloved Classics for Nursery-1st grade
in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
$12.99
Family-Time Bible in Pictures
by Kenneth N. Taylor
from Tyndale House
in Bible Stories for Kids (Location: BIBR-STO)
$12.99
Farmer's Dozen
by Sandra Joanne Russell
Stated First Edition from Harper & Row
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Favorite All-Time Classics
by Various Anthology
from Rand McNally
for Nursery-1st grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$48.00 (1 in stock)
Favorite Nursery Tales
by Jo Turner
1970 Edition from Golden Press
for Nursery-1st grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Finding Winnie
by Lindsay Mattick
First Edition from Little, Brown & Company
for Nursery-2nd grade
2016 Caldecott Winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$19.99
Fish Out of Water
by Helen Palmer
from Random House
Animal Fantasy/Rhyming Stories for Nursery-1st grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$9.99
Flora and the Flamingo
by Molly Idle
from Chronicle Books
for Nursery-Kindergarten
2014 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$17.99
Flora and the Peacocks
by Molly Idle
from Chronicle Books
for Nursery-Kindergarten
2014 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$17.99
Flora and the Penguin
by Molly Idle
from Chronicle Books
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.99
Foot Book
Bright & Early Books
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$9.99
Foot Book
Bright & Early Books
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$3.00 (4 in stock)
Frog Prince
by Ulf Stark, illustrated by Silke Leffler
IKEA from KVACK!
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Funny Thing
by Wanda Gag
from Smithmark Publishers
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
George and Martha
by James Marshall
from HMH Books for Young Readers
in Picture Book Treasuries (Location: PIC-TRE)
$29.99
Giant John
by Arnold Lobel
Weekly Reader Book Club Ed. from Harper & Row
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Giant Treasury of Beatrix Potter
by Beatrix Potter
from Derrydale Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Peter Rabbit & Friends (Location: FIC-PETER)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Gingerbread Man
by Jim Aylesworth; illustrated by Barbara McClintock
from Scholastic Inc.
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Good Morning, Farm
A Whitman Giant Tell-A-Tale Book
by Betty Ren Wright, illustrated by Fred Weinman
from Whitman Publishing Company
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Goodnight Moon
by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Clement Hurd
from Weekly Reader
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Grandma and Grandpa
by Helen Oxenbury
from Dial Books for Young Readers
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Great Circus Parade
by Evelyn Malone Curro
from Holt, Rinehart and Winston
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Guess How Much I Love You
by Sam McBratney, illustrations by Anita Jeram
from Candlewick Press
for Nursery-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.99
Gullywasher
by Joyce Rossi
from Luna Rising
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Gus was a Friendly Ghost
by Jane Thayer, illustrated by Seymour Fleishman
from Purple House Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.95
Gus was a Friendly Ghost
from William Morrow & Company
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$16.00 (1 in stock)
Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb
Bright & Early Books
by Al Perkins
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$9.99 $5.00 (2 in stock)
Hawaiian Mother Goose
by Debra Ryll; illustrated by Alexis America
from Island Heritage Publishing
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Mother Goose & Nursery Rhymes (Location: PIC-MG)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Hedgie's Surprise
by Jan Brett
from Scholastic Inc.
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Hedgie's Surprise
by Jan Brett
from Putnam Juvenile
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Henrietta and the Day of the Iguana
by Winifred Rosen, illustrated by Kay Chorao
from Four Winds Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Henry's Freedom Box
by Ellen Levine
from Scholastic Press
for Nursery-1st grade
2008 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$17.99
Hey, Diddle Diddle and other Nonsense Rhymes
A Tip-Top Elf Book
by Davi Botts (illustrator)
from Rand McNally
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Hush, Little Baby
from Greenwillow Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.99
I'm a Big Brother
by Joanna Cole
Revised Edition from HarperCollins
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Pregnancy & Infant Care (Location: PRE-INF)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
If You Plant a Seed
by Kadir Nelson
from Balzer & Bray
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.99
In a Blue Room
by Jim Averbeck, illustrated by Tricia Tusa
from Purple House Press
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.95
In a People House
by Theo. LeSieg, illustrated by Roy McKie
from Random House
for Nursery-1st grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
It's Not Easy Being a Bunny
by Marilyn Sadler
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Jessie Willcox Smith Mother Goose
by Jessie Willcox Smith
from Derrydale Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Mother Goose & Nursery Rhymes (Location: PIC-MG)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Jesus Storybook Bible (Collector Edition)
by Sally Lloyd-Jones
Har/Com Dl from Zonderkidz
in Bible Stories for Kids (Location: BIBR-STO)
$39.99
Jesus Storybook Bible Gift Edition
by Sally Lloyd-Jones
Special from Zonderkidz
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Bible Stories for Kids (Location: BIBR-STO)
$24.99
John Henry
by Julius Lester & Jerry Pinkney
from Dial Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
1995 Caldecott Honor book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Johnny the Fireman
A Tip-Top Elf Book
by Rebecca K. Sprinkle, illustrated by Ruth Wood
from Rand McNally
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Kate Greenaway's Mother Goose or the Old Nursery Rhymes
by Kate Greenaway
from Gramercy Books
for Nursery-Preschool
in Mother Goose & Nursery Rhymes (Location: PIC-MG)
$7.50 (2 in stock)
King Bidgood's in the Bathtub
by Audrey Wood & Don Wood
Reprint from Scholastic Inc.
for Nursery-1st grade
1986 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Kiss is Round
by Blossom Budney, illustrated by Vladimir Bobri
1971 printing from Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$18.00 (1 in stock)
Leaf Can Be . . .
by Laura Purdie Salas, illustrated by Violeta Dabija
from Millbrook Press
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$17.99
Let's Play!
by Herve Tullet
from Chronicle Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$15.99
Lion and the Mouse
by Jerry Pinkney
from Little, Brown & Company
for Nursery-1st
2010 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.99
Little Book of Poems & Prayers
by Joan Walsh Anglund
1st edition from Simon and Schuster
for Nursery-3rd grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$5.50 (1 in stock)
Little Cloud
by Eric Carle
from Puffin Books
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Little Lost Kitten
A Rand McNally Elf Book
by Mildred H. Comfort, illustrated by Manning de V. Lee
from Rand McNally
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Little Mommy
by Sharon Kane
from Golden Books
in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
$5.99
Little Red Riding-Hood
A Tip-Top Elf Book
by Anne Sellers Leaf (illustrator)
from Rand McNally
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Look at Annette
by Marion Walter, illustrated by Navah Haber-Schaim
1st Printing from M. Evans and Co.
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Look to the North
by Jean Craighead George, illustrated by Lucia Washburn
from HarperCollins
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Magic Talking Books: Noah's Ark
by Jo Spier, illustrator
from John C. Winston
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Margaret Wise Brown Treasury
by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Kirsten Richards, Charlotte Cooke, Stephen Gulbis, Henry Fisher, Christine Tappin, Julie Clay, etc.
from Hollins University
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Book Treasuries (Location: PIC-TRE)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
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