Thanks to Deborah for this Rec League request!
I have a 4-year-old friend who loves to read, and as his pseudo-aunt I like to bring him books. And then I get to read them to him which is the best thing ever. But I’ve run out of books I know he’ll love – the Mog books, Wombat Stew, the Canadian monster books, and the Knight Owl which was a fantastic rec from here (and I’m pretty sure was the reason I was stabbed with a foam sword a number of times at a picnic last weekend and scolded for being a “bad dragon”).
I’m sure the Bitchery knows a lot of cool books for a little kid who loves…well, everything. Any chance of a rec league?
Sarah: Our recent guest post from Clay about body autonomy and consent may offer some ideas.
EllenM: For picture books I really love Julian Is a Mermaid! ( A | BN | K ) It’s about a small boy who wants to participate in Brooklyn’s mermaid parade. Extremely wholesome and the art is beautiful.
Sneezy: Robert Munsch ( A | BN | K ) is a pretty good bet. It’s been a long time, but I remember them being silly and lovely
Amanda: I have some! Mainly with Monster/Animal themes.
- Attack of the Underwear Dragon ( A | BN | K ) -Look it’s a dragon who wears underwear!
- Secret Pizza Party ( A | BN | K ) – Brought to you by the same author as Dragons Love Tacos! Instead of a dragon, there’s a raccoon in a trench coat.
- The Barnabus Project ( A | BN | K ) – The Fan Brothers have some gorgeous picture books!
- Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast – Josh Funk is such a creative writer and I adore this silly series.
- Lost in the Library ( A | BN | K ) – Another Josh Funk book about the New York Public Library lions going on an adventure.
- Llama Destroys the World – A mischievous Llama! This team also has some other wonderful projects.
- Edison ( A | BN ) – One of the most beautiful picture books I’ve ever seen. Two mice solve an underwater mystery. They have other adventures in the sky, in space, etc.
Also, if you have access to a local indie bookstore, booksellers are a huge resource, especially if the store has a much-loved children’s section. Librarians too!
Sneezy: Catherine bought amazing books for the smol humans in her life, and she talked about these books awhile back:
“Absolutely! I’ll share it on the Slack now – but I was also thinking in the post, because I do love that piece of advertising. The artists have actually done a couple of really smart science-themed picture books, too – Do Not Lick This Book, ( A | BN | K ) which is about germs, and There’s a Skeleton Inside You, ( A | BN | K ) which is bones and muscles and nerves. Popular with every toddler I’ve read them to… They are great books, too! My niece likes the the bit where you pick up Min the Microbe from the page and put her in your mouth where she meets other microbes, and then in your bellybutton where she meets still more, etc…”
Shana: My faves for my niblings: Waa’aka’: The Bird Who Fell in Love with the Sun ( A | BN | K ), Joshua by the Sea by Angela Johnson ( A ), Amara’s Farm by JaNay Brown-Wood ( A | BN | K ), Thread of Love by Kabir Sehgal ( A | BN | K ), Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth by Sanjay Patel, and Love Is by Diane Adams ( A | BN | K ).
I have also read People Don’t Bite People ( A | BN | K ) approx. 1 million times.
Oh, and Have You Seen my Dinosaur! ( A | BN | K )
Which picture books would you recommend? Tell us below!
I’m a children’s librarian and the number of times I squealed at my screen had my boyfriend looking at me like I was crazy. An enthusiastic seconding on Julian is a Mermaid and Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth! I offer:
Fluffy McWhiskers Cuteness Explosion – A cat searches for a friend because he’s so cute everything explodes.
Itty Bitty Kittycorn – It’s written and illustrated by dynamic best friend duo Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham!
Outside Inside – Also by LeUyen Pham, this book is a great, kid friendly explanation of 2020 and people having to go inside.
Ryan T. Higgins books – Mother Bruce books are about a grumpy bear in the woods who just wants to be left alone, but his goslings won’t let that happen. Penelope Rex books are about a dinosaur who goes to school with children.
Molly Idle books. The two flora books are wordless and B-E-A-UTIFUL. Take a picture walk and write your own tale as FLora befriends birds, or just oooo at the pretty pictures.
Peter Brown books, particularly Fred Gets Dressed, as it explores expression through clothing from a young age.
Aaron Reynolds Creepy books staring Jasper Bunny.
I could go on. Ask and I will go on.
Here are a few I remember my (now teenage) nephews loving:
Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes. Cute story, beautiful illustrations.
Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin.
Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton. Actually, anything by Boynton.
Don’t Push the Button by Bill Cotter. Funny interactive story.
I’m sure I could come up with more, but it’s pre-caffeine o’clock and I have a meeting soon. Barnes & Noble (if there’s one near you) usually has a great children’s book department.
Some personal favorites around these parts—I’m always on the lookout for books featuring girls and non-white characters since the main characters in children’s books are overwhelmingly male. (The princess in the Kate Beaton is bi-racial and the girl in Raising Dragons is Black.)
THE PRINCESS AND THE PONY by Kate Beaton about a warrior princess who wants a pony. Things do not quite go as planned.
THE GARDNER by Sarah Stewart. A young girl goes to live with her uncle in New York City during the depression. Beautiful drawings of New York.
RAISING DRAGONS by Jerdine Nolen, illustrated by Elise Primavera. A girl raises her dragon, Hank, on a farm in the south.
Also, we adore all things by Sandra Boynton and Mo Willems (including the Elephant and Piggie series, Hooray for Amanda and her Alligator, and Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs).
What Do They Do With All That Poo is one I’ve purchased for many a birthday and always get a “we’ve read it five times already” from the parents the next week. It’s got science and poop, what more could you need.
The Texas Library Association puts out their 2×2 list which is for kids between two years and grade 2 and has been consistently phenomenal when we’ve used it. You can go back to past years too.
Already so many good suggestions!
One of the resources I use to get book ideas for birthdays and such is A Mighty Girl
https://www.amightygirl.com/books
They have a huge list of children’s books and you can filter by age and and many, many different interests. They focus mostly on girl characters (obviously) but I used it a lot to get book ideas for both my boys and I just assumed from the time they were very little that they would read books about boys *and* girls and never got any push back from them about it.
It’s always getting updated too, so that’s handy if you want to make sure you’re not repeating the same gifts you got last year (hey it happens!)
If your friend (and his grownups) are okay with something a bit more edgy (for a 4 year old!) we loved Mac Barnett’s I WANT MY HAT BACK. There’s a bear who has lost his hat, a sneaky rabbit and a maybe surprise ending? I recommend you read a copy yourself before gifting but we mostly loved it.
There’s also the Jane Yolen HOW DO DINOSAURS . . . series. Those are fun to read out loud and plentiful in number.
Anything by Elise Gravel. She does super fun books about animals (worms, bats and the like) but also wrote a beautiful books called What is a Refugee. Strongly recommend.
What Do We Do All Day has incredible book lists and I’ve gotten a ton of recs from there. https://www.whatdowedoallday.com/
I was just telling my colleagues at work with littles in their lives that the original Max & Ruby books by Rosemary Wells have the kind of wry humor that works well for the listener AND the reader. We particularly love Bunny Cakes and Bunny Party. The Hobans’ Frances books are also great for that, particularly A Birthday for Frances and A Baby Sister for Frances in addition to the ever-popular Bread and Jam for Frances.
If you’re looking for cozy we loved Brimsby’s Hats by Andrew Prahin and Marilyn’s Monster by Matt Phelan.
HAROLD AND THE PURPLE CRAYON -simple and classic – just right for getting started on some drawing and dreaming.
Animalia by Graeme Base. It’s an animal alphabet book that has a page full of images for each letter. I’ve “read” it with my nephew, and it’s fun to figure out what the name of each item is based on what letter’s page it is.
The Dear Author website has picture book reviews.
Higgins has already been mentioned but I highly second that one!
Also in love with Stutzman – the Llama destroys the word books are hilarious (particularly 1 and 3), and Tiny T-rex and the impossible hug is amazing.
Also love Bob Shea – particularly Kid Sheriff and the Terrible Toads, and I’m a Shark.
Ame Dyckman – Wolfie the Bunny
Jan Thomas – Let’s Sing a Lullaby with the Brave cowboy
Greg Gormley – the Prince and the Pee
Adam Rubin – Dragons love Tacos and Those darn squirrels
Some great recs here already!
We’re sadly past the picture book phase in our house though we’re holding on to all of our favorites. My son and I both loved anything by Oliver Jeffers! He’s such a gem of a writer and thinks about the world in big and wonderful ways.
We loved all of the Mac Barnett/Jon Klassen books too. Raul the Third is a wonderful illustrator and his books are bilingual English/Spanish. Dan Santat is another great bet (his Humpty Dumpty book After the Fall nearly brought me to tears). We also love Aram Kim’s books which incorporate Korean-American culture.
Some old classics — my sons’ favorites were always the Richard Scarry books, colorful and silly and full of puns and quirky characters (Lowly Worm and his apple car was a favorite.)
And one that was also their dad’s favorite: CAPS FOR SALE by Esphyr Slobodkina. My kids loved acting out the silly monkeys! And I just discovered there’s a sequel!
I’m pleased to share a romance picture book with a HEA – CINDERELLIOT, written by Mark Ceilley and ME!, illustrations by Stephanie Laberis. It’s a gay retelling of Cinderella with a baking theme.
@Jill… do go on.
(Someone had to do it! And I’m taking copious notes from this entire thread.)
Biron the Bee Who Couldn’t by Gregg McBride and illustrated by Anais Chartschenko. Gregg is a screenwriter and he has written a sweet story. Anais’s illustrations are so beautiful.
My girls are teenagers now and this discussion gave me so much nostalgia! Lots of awesome suggestions here. A few of our favorites from when mine were little: seconding I WANT MY HAT BACK and the Jane Yolen Dinosaurs series, and to anything Mo Willems. We also loved GIRAFFES CAN’T DANCE by Giles Andreae, VERDI by Janell Cannon, and READ TO TIGER by S. J. Fore. THE DAY THE CRAYONS QUIT also. And I can’t forget my younger daughter’s special favorite: GOOD NIGHT, GOOD NIGHT, CONSTRUCTION SITE. She was soo into bulldozers and trucks when she was small.
Every kid I know (including the ones my husband teaches) loved My Little Sister Ate One Hare. It’s a counting book of all the unsuitable things the sister eats (“…we thought she’d throw up then and there, but she didn’t!”) I will ever after be known as the teacher’s wife who read the word “underpants” out loud!
I’m a bag fan of Alexandra Day’s Carl books. Carl is a big sweet Rottweiler doing his very best to take care of his girl. They have many fun adventures. The thing I like most about them (after the delightful artwork) is that there is not a written story. The stories are what you and/or your child makes them. My goddaughter and I spent lots of times telling the story to each other and pondering what Carl would do. I recently bought the set for her daughter and hope they have just as much fun. Carl is a very good boy.
Thirding I WANT MY HAT BACK by Jon Klassen. So who did steal bear’s hat? Part picture book, part noir detective mystery.
THE DETECTIVE DOG by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Sara Ogilvie
DOGS DON’T DO BALLET – by Anna Kemp and illustrated (again) by Sara Ogilvie (but I do really like her illustrations though). Drama! Pathos! Humour! as a small dog realises a dream.
THERE’S A DINOSAUR IN MY BATHTUB by Catalina Echeverri – A French dinosaur called Pierre comes to visit a little girl (who’s the only one who knows Pierre’s there!)
Also, anything by Richard Scarry is fun to read.
Seconding Kevin Henkes – Kitten’s First Full Moon is adorable, also Owen (about a mouse and his favorite blanket), and many more classic books.
Cat people, check out There Are Cats In This Book, There Are No Cats In This Book, Is There A Dog In This Book? by Vivienne Shwartz. Written in the cats’ voices, funny, cute, 4th wall breaking, with interactive flaps.
Yes!!! I’ve been waiting for this rec league!!!
First up: The Book Without No Pictures. The adult will love it as much as the kid.
What Floats in a Moat by Lynne Berry
If you’re up for some short comic/graphic novels: try Cece Bell’s Brain and Chick books.
How to Catch A Clover Thief by Elise Parsley
Never Not Ever by Beatrice Alemanga
Dr. Seuss’s Red Fish, Blue Fish and Green Eggs and Ham—my now 5.5 yr old had a phase when he couldn’t get enough of those books.
Very different from the above but a wonderful translated book: I am the Subway by Kim Hyo-eun
And a book that my kid loved but made me kind of cringe- Hey Grandude by Paul McCartney
Also my absolute favorite resource for all things kid lit:
https://afuse8production.slj.com/
The Book With No Pictures by BJ Novak
Yes to Mo Willems!!
My kid is 10, so a few years past the picture book stage. Here’s some of what they loved:
PRESS HERE by Herve Tullet
SKY COLOR by Peter H Reynolds
THE BOOK WITH NO PICTURES by BJ Novak (a read-aloud book that “tricks” the adults into saying silly things)
PETE THE CAT by James Dean (also an Amazon Prime cartoon)
PINKALICIOUS by Victoria Kahn (also a PBS cartoon)
PLEASE BRING BALLOONS by Lindsay Ward
THE NIGHT BEFORE (event) books by Natasha Wing (I think these helped with anxiety about things like going to kindergarten or the dentist, but my kid also loved the ones about Christmas and Valentine’s Day; these do have traditional gender roles, though)
ADA TWIST, SCIENTIST by Andrea Beaty
And Sandra Boynton (esp. THE GOING TO BED BOOK) and Mo Willems (esp. CAN I PLAY TOO? and KNUFFLE BUNNY) as others have mentioned
Last one for now: The Little Wooden Robot and The Log Princess by Tom Gauld
Actor John Lithgow has written several lovely books for children. Jane Yolen writes excellent picture books, especially her dinosaur series for youngers. Her series for slightly older kids has titles that start with “Welcome To” for books about the jungle, the desert, the arctic, etc. with excellent drawings. Several wonderful illlustrators have written children’s books as well. Anything by Leo & Diane Dillon, Trina Schart Hyman, or Tasha Tudor should be pounced upon with great glee.
A couple of my kids’ favorites from 30 years ago:
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins
My lucky granddaughters have enough books to open a library, but one of their favorites is The Wolf the Duck & the Mouse, by Mac Barnett. They still ask for it two years after I bought it. It’s also great fun to read aloud. It won a slew of awards when it came out in 2017 and deserves every one of them.
My kids are grown but I have kept our books by Calef Brown. They’re poetry collections that are really fun to read aloud and wonderful illustrations, too. I can still recite some from memory. The titles we have are Polka Bats and Octopus Slacks and Dutch Sneakers and Flea Keepers but I know he’s done a couple others.
The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson is one of our favourites.
Anything by her.
Martin Waddell writes delightful books.
Anything by Sandra Boynton
The Hairy McLairy books are fun to read aloud.
The Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch by the Armitages.
Burglar Bill and Master Money the Millionaire and the other Happy Families books by the Albergs.
Dogger by Shirley Williams.
Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell.
A Squash and a Squeeze, Julia Donaldson.
<emThe Tiger Who Came to Tea, Judith Kerr.
The Noggin books.
There’s No Such Thing as a Dragon, Paul Kent.
My Cat Just Sleeps, Joanne Partis.
Six-Dinner Sid</em, Inga Moore.
Seconding Hoban and Jeffers.
Pop-up Books.
From Vintage to Modern, obviously too many to name here but
here is a website to start: https://www.bestpopupbooks.com/
They even have “grown-up” ones of art work from museum stores that can be coffee table books that are conversation starters.
Wonderful thread! Many of these titles are new to me and being saved to my gift ideas list.
Favorites of my children and now my grandkids that I haven’t seen mentioned – Quick As A Cricket and The Napping House by Audrey Wood, and everything by Richard Scarry.
This post makes me so happy. My kids are 8 and 10, so we’re just on the edge of outside picture books. I’m fourthing (?) I Want My Hat Back and it’s sequel, This Is Not My Hat. Yes to anything Mo Willems. I feel like I’ve read The Book With No Pictures a million times and my kids still always crack up. I’d also like to add The Paperbag Princess, which is excellent.
You can’t go wrong with the classics – Bill Peet, Sandra Boynton, Peggy Rathmann, and of course Chris Van Allsburg. Literally not a bad book from any of them.
The Stinky Cheese Man! (and anything else by Jon Scieszka)
My granddaughter and grandson both love THE PICKLE BOOK by Rachel Isadora. It’s a book about the five senses with lovely illustrations, and it’s in Spanish and English so is bilingually fun. Some of the examples can be turned into activities: we actually listened to the vacuum and smelled soap and ate pickles and touched a dog (no worms were available for touching).
GRUMPY MONKEY by Suzanne Lang (illustrated by Max Lang) is great fun and provides a gentle lead-in to discuss how we can feel all kinds of moods and that’s OK. I do love Norman, his neighbor.
I’m a firm believer that no one ages out of picture books. A beautiful picture book is a joy forever!
I get to share my love with elementary students, because I’m a substitute in the school district that has been trained to work in the library. One of my very favorite picture books is Wolf in The Snow by Matthew Cordell. There are no words, just illustrations with some sounds. The illustrations are gorgeous, and it is such a conversation starter with the students, “what do you think is going on here?”, “what do you think will happen?”. The kids get so invested in it, I’ve read it so many times and never get sick of it.
The Snatchabook by Helen Docherty-such a fun book that has great rhyming verse. About books disappearing, what could be happening? Another read aloud favorite.
Loving this topic and taking notes…
Ooh! Ooh! Also Tomie di Paolo, who did wonderful heartwarming books with lovely and funny illustrations. One of my favorites, WATCH OUT FOR THE CHICKEN FEET IN YOUR SOUP, is about a little boy learning to appreciate his nonna and his cultural heritage. He also did a great holiday book about Strega Nonna, the Italian version of Santa, kind of.
Another vote for the original Max & Ruby books by Rosemary Wells and The Frances books by Hoban. We still quote these thirty years later!
I don’t think anyone has mentioned The George and Martha books by James Marshall; these are fun for child and adult.
Homemade Love, by bell hooks (RIP)! Beautifully warm, loving, and colorful book.