How To Build A Family Library Of Awesome Picture Books
We Need to Invest in Home Libraries
Children Need Stories about Happy, Functional Families
Children Need Both Wisdom and Wonder Tales
Children Need Stories about the Natural World
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Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes, by Mem Fox and Helen Oxenbury. This multicultural book is one of our top favorites for tiny readers.
Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown. I know some parents hate this book, and I admit it’s weird; but something about the illustrations and the drawn-out bedtime ritual has mesmerized all of my little ones.
Opposites. by Sandra Boynton. Boynton’s best books are fun because they always include some element of the unexpected. We also own and enjoy But Not the Hippopotamus and a few others.
Dear Zoo, by Rod Campbell. This one is simple, classic, and includes flaps to lift. What more could one ask?
ZooBorns, by Andrew Bleiman. Every toddler needs a book with photos of animals. This is the one we happen to own, but it’s pretty interchangeable with other equivalent titles.
Moby Dick, by Jack Wang. In general, I hate abbreviated classics, and in general I avoid board books that are obviously aimed at the adult instead of the child. Yet somehow, my toddlers have found the Cozy Classics series compelling. Who knows why? They’re so fun to look at I don’t mind. We have an older edition of this title as well as two others in the series.
Pippo Gets Lost, by Helen Oxenbury. My children have all enjoyed stories about Tom and Pippo.
I Am a Bunny, by Ole Risom and Richard Scarry. I probably like this one just because it’s cute, but it’s also a good choice for tiny readers with short attention spans. This one also fits in the same category.
Lola at the Library with Mommy, by Anna McQuinn. This edition is not yet released, but it seems to be a reissue of the board book version.
My First Real Mother Goose, by Blanche Fisher Wright. I’m a big believer in reading nursery rhymes to young children. It helps them to hear and appreciate the rhythms in the English language, prepares them to respond to poetry later, and is fun.
Eloise Wilkin’s Poems to Read to the Very Young, by Eloise Wilkins. It’s hard to find a good volume of classic poems that little ones will enjoy. Not every family will love every poem in this volume, but overall it’s a nice choice.
Picture Books for Older Toddlers and Young Children
I’ve attempted to divide my list of picture books into two categories roughly based on age. Your child’s attention span will be the best guide, however. If your kids are clumsy at turning pages, you might want to get a few of these in board-book form so they can be enjoyed without supervision.
Caps for Sale, by Esphyr Slobodkina. The best picture books contain layers of meaning, and this one definitely does — very young children can grasp the plot, and as they get older, they may realize it has a moral, too. It was my firstborn’s first favorite “real book.”
Alfie Gets in First, and other titles in the same series by Shirley Hughes. We love the “Alfie and Annie Rose” books. Shirley Hughes has such a gift for portraying the joys and foibles of her characters in a loving way.
Katy and the Big Snow, The Little House, and Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, by Virginia Lee Burton. Katy inspired my children to think of perseverance as something desirable, which is useful when kids are tired and you want them to climb stairs.
Cars and Trucks and Things That Go and Best Nursery Tales Ever, by Richard Scarry. My husband grew up with the first of these titles. I grew up with the second. Our kids like both.
The Jolly Barnyard, by Annie North Bedford. I think this book offers a rare example of embracing our opportunities for service instead of insisting we must always “chase our dreams.” A lot of other vintage Golden Books are pretty good, too. If you see an older compendium or treasury of such tales you should pick it up. We happen to have this one.
The Little Engine That Could, by Watty Piper. My mother-in-law likes to classify this tale as “the good Samaritan for children, but with trains.”
Little Bear, by Else Holmelund Minarik. The Little Bear books are cozy, happy, and relatable.
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type, by Doreen Cronin. This is another book that works well on multiple levels.
The Story About Ping, by Marjorie Flack. Children seem drawn to books that help them process the idea of potentially misplacing their parents before being reclaimed. The author’s Angus books are also good (not to mention hilarious).
Bee-Bim-Bop, by Linda Sue Park. This story about a Korean family preparing dinner is filled with a wonderful energy. It’s one of my top favorites.
Papa Small, by Lois Lenski (1951). The illustrations may seem a bit stick-figure-like, but I love the multitude of activities the family partakes in, including going to church and having to carry the crying baby out of service.
Hedgie’s Surprise; The Owl and the Pussycat; and The Hat, by Jan Brett. Brett’s wonderful illustrations are delightful even though her many books can begin to seem repetitious. My theory is that everyone’s favorite Jan Brett books are the first two or three they happened to find.
Blueberries for Sal and Make Way for Ducklings, by Robert McCloskey. You absolutely should own both of these.
Owl at Home, by Arnold Lobel. Owl is goodhearted and a little foolish. My children loved the quirky humor and found it easier to relate Owl than to the author’s Frog and Toad books, although those are good, too, and my kids enjoy them now that they are older.
The Little Train, by Lois Lenski. The engaging, detailed text shows real respect for the ability of young children to grasp and process information.
Albert’s Alphabet, by Leslie Tryon. If you are going to purchase an ABC book, consider this one. The protagonist’s ingenuity is charming.
Miss Suzy, by Miriam Young. Few books portray domestic virtues as admirable and heroic. This one does. It contains brave toy soldiers, too.
The Maggie B. by Irene Haas. My children love the imaginative adventure in this story.
Rain School, by James Rumford. It’s good for children to realize how different life in other parts of the world can be.
Be Nice to Spiders, by Margaret Bloy Graham. “Don’t squish spiders” is an important message.
Pumpkin Moonshine, by Tasha Tudor. It’s hard to find a Halloween-ish book that isn’t annoying. This one is, instead, quite charming.
Madeline, by Ludwig Bemelmans. This is another one of those stories that is slightly odd, and only sometimes rhymes; yet it has appealed to generations of children.
Three Little Pigs, by Paul Galdone. This story is important for cultural literacy. It also teaches children to expect try-fail-try-succeed cycles in their lives.
The Year at Maple Farm, by Alice and Martin Provensen. Kids should have a sense of what life is like when we live in accordance with the natural seasons.
Dr. De Soto, by William Steig. I love this story. So does my husband. So do our kids. It’s a wisdom tale, a hero tale, and a tale of marital unity all at once.
The Biggest Bear, by Lynn Ward. Another wonderful classic.
The Funny Thing, by Wanda Gag. Is this story too weird? I hope you don’t think so. We don’t.
Rum Pum Pum, by Maggie Duff. The blackbird hero in this folktale is so very plucky and energetic that one can’t help rooting for him.
Something from Nothing, by Phoebe Gilman. In this book, a grandfather repeatedly makes something new from something old. It’s one of my husband’s favorites.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit, The Tale of Benjamin Bunny, and The Tale of Jeremy Fisher are an essential part of any child’s library. The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin is also good, but seems to appeal to a slightly older child. With Beatrix Potter, don’t buy a “treasury” or compendium—look for the little individual volumes printed on good paper that let you enjoy the beautiful watercolor illustrations as they are designed to be viewed. Do not, of course, pollute your children’s library with some sort of adaptation or anything with re-worked drawings.
God’s Own Child I Gladly Say It, by Erdmann Neumeister and Jonathan Mayer. This book illustrates the text of the classic baptismal hymn with pictures that tell their own story about the life of a Christian. It’s very well-done.
Aesop’s Fables, illustrated by Milo Winter. Aesop’s fables have been a staple of education for centuries, and Martin Luther thought children should know them.
The Story Bible or 120 Bible Stories, depending on your children’s comprehension level. The former is told in simpler language and the latter will “age-up” to older kids and adults. Both are faithful to the scriptural version of each story.
You should own some sort of Mother Goose volume with attractive illustrations. We’ve cycled through a few. You should also own some sort of reasonably good children’s volume of poetry. We have this one. Here’s another lovely choice.
Picture Books for the Slightly Older (non-toddler) Child
Dogger, by Shirley Hughes. When Dave loses his stuffed animal, his big sister truly comes to the rescue.
John Deere, That’s Who! by Tracy Maurer. Not all picture-book biographies genuinely appeal to children, but this one does; and my son relished learning about the man who invented a better plow.
Henry’s Freedom Box, by Ellen Levine. This is a story of courage. My children also found it a compelling introduction to the evils of American slavery.
Stone Soup, by Marcia Brown. Another classic folk tale with a timeless message.
Anatole and Anatole and the Cat, by Eve Titus. These books are hilarious but also surprisingly touching. I love that Anatole, although a mouse, possesses a sense of honor. Note: Not all the other sequels are well-written.
Petunia and Petunia’s Christmas, by Roger Duvoisin. At my house we like quirky humor, especially if it is accompanied by gentle wisdom.
The Mole Family’s Christmas, by Russel Hoban. Perseverance, family unity, Christmas, and warm but quirky humor: this book has it all.
How Droofus the Dragon Lost His Head, by Bill Peet. I grew up laughing over Bill Peet books. This is one of his best.
Little Tim and the Brave Sea Captain, by Edward Ardizzone. Tim is brave and resourceful. He also has adventures any little boy would love to imagine.
Saint George and the Dragon and The Kitchen Knight, by Margaret Hodges and Trina Schart Hyman. These titles make for a great introduction to the idea of knightly valor. Tell your boys to be knights instead of bullies.
Rumpelstiltskin and Rapunzel, by Paul O Zelinsky. If you aren’t used to reading fairy tales to your kids, you might find aspects of these stories challenging, but kids tend to be surprisingly matter-of-fact about plots that scare adults. The illustrations are extremely lovely.
The First Marathon: The Legend of Pheidippides, by Susan Reynolds. Pheidippides offers a wonderful example of courage.
D’Aulaire biographies like this one. These biographies are not always P.C., and they are not all in print, but they are extremely engaging and memorable.
Nature Books for Kids
We collect two main types of nature books. We look for story-like narratives that allow kids to learn about a particular topic in-depth, and we also keep nature guides around so that they can look up the creatures they find.
Chickens Aren’t the Only Ones, by Ruth Heller. You might be surprised to learn how many animals lay eggs.
Inky’s Amazing Escape: How a Very Smart Octopus Found His Way Home, by Sy Montgomery. This is a well-told, true story that includes fascinating facts about octopus habits.
Cactus Hotel, by Brenda Guiberson. Not every book has a cactus for a protagonist.
Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes, by Nicola Davies. This is highly engaging and the illustrations are lovely.
The Usborne Flip Flap Body Book, by Alastair Smith. This is for quite young kids and uses very simple language.
Big Tracks, Little Tracks: Following Animal Prints, by Millicent E. Selsam. My kids responded well to the idea that nature is filled with clues for young detectives to find.
The Smithsonian “Backyard” Series. Each book in this series follows a particular kind of animal and provides excellent detail about its life.
Golden Nature Guides (we have this one about insects, as well as the rest in the series). We have a variety of nature guides, but the Golden Ones are favorites.
Anna Mussmann is a stay-at-home mom who writes during nap time. She is fascinated by old books, ideas, and historic philosophies of education. Her work can also be found on the blog www.sisterdaughtermotherwife.com.
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