Picture Books

0 comments

TITLE	AUTHOR	REVIEWERS COMMENTS	AGE	AWARDS
HI! Fly Guy	Norton Juster	Beautiful story about the relationship of a young girl and her grandparents. Beautiful and slightly abstract art. This book made us happy after reading it and my entire family enjoyed it.	Preschool, early elem.	Theodore Suess Geisel Honor Book
The Hello, Goodbye Window	Tedd Arnold	A boy named Buzz spends the entire story trying to get people to believe his pet fly is smart. He is constantly dismissed and laughed at until his pet fly proves them all wrong. Cute story about an uncommon friendship. This is the beginning book in a series.	Early elem.	Caldecott Medal
Curious George	H.A. Rey	"Originally published in 1941, I was surprised at the amount of content that caused me to pause. George smokes a pipe, vomits ocean water and fish, goes to prison, injures a guard, and steals balloons. There is also an overall tone that curiosity is a bad thing. Words: Fireman want to “shut George up”."	Early elem.
A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever	Marla Frazee	Humorous book . The illustrations play a large part in the telling of this story and at times show that the written words are meant in a sarcastic way. Of note, the boys learn “new vocabulary”. By the characters in the conversation box, it is clear they are learning curse words. Cute story.	Elementary	Caldecott Award
One Fine Day	Nonny Hogrogian	Humorous retelling of an old Armenian folktale. A fox loses his tale to an old woman after drinking all her milk and spends the day bargaining to get it back. My children laughed at everything the fox had to go through to get his tail back.	preschool	Caldecott Award
In the Night Kitchen	Maurice Sendack	Larger than life illustrations that really make this story come to life. Only thing of note, the boy in the story appears nude several times in book. My kids thought the book was cute although it did create a conversation about body parts.	Toddler, preschool	Caldecott Medal
Where the Wild Things Are	Maurice Sendak	One of my favorites as a child but as a parent, I realized how scary the illustrations can be to young children. Also of note is the attitude of Max towards his mother. He is sent to bed without dinner.	Preschool, early elem.	Caldecott Medal
Song and Dance Man	Karen Ackerman	Beautiful colored pencil illustrations. Sweet story about a grandfather who shows his grandchildren the many ways he entertained on the Vaudeville stage.	Early elem.	Caldecott Medal
Thank you, Mr. Falker	Patricia Polacco	My favorite children’s author and artist, this is a story of frustration, hope, and hard work. True story of a girl who struggles to read and write, is teased relentlessly, and ultimately receives help from a wonderful teacher who does not give up on her and teaches her to believe in herself. A must read for everyone! Words to note: dumb, ugly, stupid.	All elementary
Squashed in the Middle	Elizabeth Winthrop	Great illustrations. A very real story about how the middle child of an African American family who feels like no one listens to her. Great for middle children.	Preschool, early elem.
The Other Side	Jacqueline Woodson	A delightful and thought provoking story for elementary aged children. Deals with race and two girls who overcome “the way it has always been”.	Early elem.	Caldecott Honor
The House in the Night	Susan Marie Swanson	Nothing of note. I enjoyed the simplicity of the illustrations and the pattern of the story.	Preschool, early elem.	Caldecott Honor
Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad	Ellen Levine	Breathtaking illustrations full of emotion. This is a very difficult story to read and should be read to elementary age children who are more mature. This book deals with the realities of slavery and two families that are ripped apart when the children are sold.	Elementary	Caldecott Honor
The Sandwich Swap	Queen Rania of Jordan Al Abdullah	Cute story. I like how the conflict was resolved between the two main characters and how they were able to teach a lesson to others.	Early elem.
Potty Animals	Hope Vestergard	My family loved this one. Great if you are working on potty training or brushing up on potty do’s and don’ts. Author uses fantastic rhymes and animal characters to teach appropriate bathroom etiquette and manners.	Toddler, preschool
The Lion and the Mouse	Jerry Pinkey	Amazing illustrations. This is a retold Aesop fable.	Preschool, early elem.	Caldecott Honor
The Stray Dog	Marc Simont	True Story about a family who finds, saves, and adopts a stray dog.	Toddler, preschool	Caldecott Honor
Ella Sarah Gets Dressed	Margaret Chodos-Irvine	A book to celebrate a child’s individuality. I loved this because it put into perspective why my daughter chooses to dress the way she does. Great for the whole family.	Toddler, preschool	Caldecott Honor