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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113 Items found Print
Active Filters: Nursery (Ages 2-4), Hardcover, Used Books & Materials
3 Little Golden Books Classic Collection
from Golden Books
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
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)
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)
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)
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)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
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 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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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
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)
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'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)
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)
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)
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 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)
Marguerite de Angeli's Book of Nursery and Mother Goose Rhymes
by Marguerite de Angeli
from Doubleday & Company
for Nursery-2nd grade
1955 Caldecott Honor Book
in Mother Goose & Nursery Rhymes (Location: PIC-MG)
$9.00 (5 in stock)
Montessori: Letter Work
from Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
for Nursery-Kindergarten
$10.99 $6.50 (1 in stock)
Mother Goose
by Arthur Rackham (illustrator)
from Weathervane Books
for Nursery-Kindergarten
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes
by Arthur Rackham (illustrator)
from Viking Press
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Mother Goose & Nursery Rhymes (Location: PIC-MG)
$9.00 (2 in stock)
Mother Goose on the Loose
by Hans Wilhelm (illustrator)
2009 Edition from Sterling Publishing Co.
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Mother Goose & Nursery Rhymes (Location: PIC-MG)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?
Bright & Early Books
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House
for Nursery-1st grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$9.99 $4.00 (3 in stock)
Mr. Gumpy's Outing
by John Burningham
First American Edition from Henry Holt and Company
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Mr. Little's Noisy Car
by Richard Fowler
from EDC Publishing
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.50 (1 in stock)
My First Bible in Pictures
from Tyndale House
Realistic Fiction for
in Bible Stories for Kids (Location: BIBR-STO)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
My First Counting Book
by Lilian Moore
from Golden Books
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
$2.50 (2 in stock)
My Very First Mother Goose
by Iona Opie
from Candlewick Press
for Nursery-kindergarten
in Mother Goose & Nursery Rhymes (Location: PIC-MG)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Mystery of the Gate Sign
by Margaret Friskey, Illustrated by Katherine Evans
from Children's Press
for Nursery-1st grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Mystery of the Giant Footprints
by Fernando Krahn
2nd Printing from E.P. Dutton & Co.
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Nursery Rhyme Classics
by Kate Greenaway
from Cresset Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Mother Goose & Nursery Rhymes (Location: PIC-MG)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Old MacDonald Had a Farm
by Robert Quackenbush
from J.B. Lippincott Co.
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Old Man on Our Block
by Agnes Snyder, illustrated by Donald Lynch
from Holt, Rinehart and Winston
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
On the Night You Were Born
Kohl's Cares Edition from Feiwel & Friends
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$9.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Our Family's First Bible Storybook
from Baker Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Bible Stories for Kids (Location: BIBR-STO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Randolph Caldecott's Favorite Nursery Rhymes
by Randolph Caldecott
from Castle Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Red Book
by Barbara Lehman
from Scholastic Inc.
for Nursery-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Richard Scarry's Best Little Word Book Ever! (Little Golden Book)
by Richard Scarry
2nd edition from Golden Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Ride a Purple Pelican
by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by Garth Williams
1st edition from Greenwillow Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Runaway Chick
by Erica Briers, illustrated by Stephanie Boey
from The Templar Co.
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
S is for S'mores
by Helen Foster James, illustrated by Lita Judge
from Sleeping Bear Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
S is for Salmon
by Hannah Viano
from Sasquatch Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Silver Pony
by Lynd Ward
from Houghton Mifflin
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Someone Says
by Carole Lexa Shaefer, illustrated by Pierr Morgan
from Viking Press
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Sometimes Rain
by Meg Fleming, illustrated by Diana Sudyka
from Beach Lane Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Meteorology (Weather & Climate) (Location: SCI-WEA)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Story of a Fierce Bad Rabbit
Book 20
by Beatrix Potter
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-1st grade
in Peter Rabbit & Friends (Location: FIC-PETER)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Story of Miss Moppet
Book 21
by Beatrix Potter
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-1st grade
in Peter Rabbit & Friends (Location: FIC-PETER)
$7.99 $3.50 (1 in stock)
Swimmy
by Leo Lionni
from Pantheon Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Tailor of Gloucester
by Beatrix Potter
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Tale of Mr. Tod
Book 14
by Beatrix Potter
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Nursery-1st grade
in Peter Rabbit & Friends (Location: FIC-PETER)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Tale of Three Trees
by Angela Elwell Hunt, Tim Jonke (Illustrator)
1st edition from Cook Communications
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.00 (2 in stock)
Ted and Dolly's Fairytale Flight
by Richard Fowler
from EDC Publishing
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
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