Today I want to share with you some of my favorite picture books for I am, without a doubt, a bibliophile, a bookworm, a reader. Trying to limit myself to the amount of books I own is hard! Thank goodness for libraries, and ones who also have a way to borrow digitally. According to my mother, I taught myself to read using the Winnie-the-Pooh stories around the time my older brother had started school. And I haven’t stopped since. Before I started teaching I collected children’s books, and I was often looking in second hand book stores for gems. But even now I know that I have barely scratched the tip of the iceberg as to books that are out there, and therefore I am missing some amazing ones. 

I am a bit of a book snob. Ok, I am a lot of a book snob when it comes to children’s books. I love to read to my girls, and while I am grateful that they want to pick up anything and read it (well, have me read it), I shudder sometimes at the quality of the content. My girls just love it when you read to them and they really don’t care what it is, along as you read. But I care. I care a lot.

As I read some books I find myself wondering why they were even published and what were the publishers thinking? The publishing world is very competitive – and I know this because I have been testing the waters with publishers and agents for 2 books that I have written – so why are there some, dare I say it, crapola books? Yes, that is a little judgemental. Maybe a lot judgemental. I know that books can be subjective, just like music, but I want my girls to read good quality books that will expand their vocabulary and ignite their imagination.

What do I look for in children’s books?

I certainly don’t look for all of these things in every book, but these are key things:

• Text that is engaging and introduces rich vocabulary – new words with substance
• Whimsy and humour
• If it is in rhyme then does it have a matching rhythm throughout? Is it a good rhyming scheme?
• Illustrations add to the story, provide additional information, are engaging, do not stereotype
• Stories that make you think, question, engage

A Handful Of My Favorites

It is hard to narrow down my favorite books to just a handful. I could probably easily write a list of 100 Books I Like, and that is just in picture books, not including chapter books for kids. Let me share with you some of my favorite picture books – well, 5 of them, and why they are my favorites. 

• The Story Of The Little Mole Who Knew It Was None Of His Business by Werner Holzwarth

I discovered this book in Australia. In America it is called The Story Of The Little Mole Who Went In Search Of Whodunnit. Different titles but same story. I like the nuance of the “none of his business”. It appeals to my love of play on words. This book was originally written in German. I need to look for it. Why is this book my favorite? It’s silly. It’s about poo. About how animals poo. And the illustrations are hilarious as they capture the animals’ faces as they demonstrate how they poo. I have used this book as a reward for many a classroom, and no matter the age (even those tough 6th grade boys), it held the children captive. I love the use of parentheses that provides a different tone within the story.  This is a book I will continue to read to children as long as I live. 

• The Crown On Your Head by Nancy Tillman

I fell in love with this book the first time I read it. A sweet friend gave it my girls for their first birthday because we refer to them as “twincesses”. I had read other Nancy Tillman books but not this one.  Not only are the words beautiful, but the illustrations are spectacular. I have read it so many times that I can recite it, as can my girls. This is such an encouragement to children, with such poignant lines as “I always knew just what your crown meant. It says that you are magnificent. (It means you are grand from your toes to your chin. So take a deep breath and let that sink in.)”  or “No one’s is brighter, no one’s is duller. It’s only a crown of a different color.”

I think this book should be given to every family. Another thing that appeals is that it is in rhyme. I love books in rhyme as it is musical and lyrical. 

• Possum Magic by Mem Fox. Illustrations by Julie Vivas

I grew up reading this book. It was published when I was in first grade. It is definitely an Australian classic that captures the beauty of Australian animals, ignites a sense of adventure, and infuses a sense of magic. Mem Fox has a style of writing that stands out and it is easy to see why her books have been so popular for so long, one being the way she captures emotion, as in these lines “Hush said she didn’t mind, but in her heart of hearts she did.”  My girls love this book. We have actually made it a tradition to eat a Vegemite sandwich, half a lamington and a piece of Pavlova on the girls’ birthday to make sure they stay visible. It’s a fun tradition that also is part of their culture (seeing as they are also Australian). 

• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (both English and German)

I have always loved this book and have used it in several units of work while teaching – it is great for learning about the life cycle of a caterpillar. The illustrations are also beautiful (even if some people think the wings of the butterfly at the end are upside down). It was the first book I could read fluently in German, and the girls ask for it regularly. We have fun getting to the Saturday page and getting faster and faster as we read the list of foods, doing it all in one breath. Oh so dramatic. Ha. 

• Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans

“In an old house in Paris that was covered in vines lived twelve little girls in two straight lines.” These stories are classics for a reason. They have stood the test of time. I love the rhyme and rhythm (I really do love stories in rhyme). Madeline is such a great character. I love how she walks to the beat of her own drum – she is imaginative, she is plucky, she thinks outside the box. As well as being mischievous and a slight trouble maker, she is also compassionate. But poor Miss Clavel. The illustrations are simple but so effective.  

Others that are definitely in my list of “Must Reads”:

• Math Curse written by Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith
• The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Sceiszka
• I’ve Got an Elephant by Anne Ginkel
• How Do Dinosaurs say Goodnight? By Jane Yolen
• Any book written by Dr Suess
• Winnie-The-Pooh by A.A.Milne (though this is more of a chapter book)

I know that I could go on and on but I won’t. These are just some of my favorite picture books. What are some of your favorite picture books? I would love to know. And what makes them special for you?