Reading: Top Ten Picture Books
Actual Size
by Steve Jenkins
A collection of fascinating collages of huge and tiny animals, shown at actual size. Who knew a squid’s eye was so big!
Antler, Bear, Canoe
by Betsy Bowen
This clever alphabet book depicts a year in northern Minnesota through beautiful woodblock prints.
The Dirty Cowboy
by Amy Timberlake
illustrated by Adam Rex
A filthy cowboy tells his dog to guard his clothes while he takes a bath. The cowboy lives to regret this command in this very funny tall tale.
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
by Mo Willems
I still laugh out loud every time I read about this determined pigeon who will say anything in order to drive the bus.
How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World
by Marjorie Priceman
A geography lesson, a cookbook, but mostly a delightful story about how to make an apple pie if your grocery store happens to be closed.
King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub
by Audrey Wood
illustrated by Don Wood
Marvelously detailed illustrations show what happens when the court tries to coax this chubby king out of his bathtub.
The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry,
and The Big Hungry Bear
by Audrey Wood
illustrated by Don Wood
You can’t help but love this expressive mouse, trying to protect his strawberry from you-know-who.
Mel Fell
by Corey R. Tabor
The surprising format of this book is ideal for the story of a young kingfisher leaping from her nest … then rising triumphantly into the air. The humorous comments from the animal spectators are a delightful bonus!
Milo Imagines the World
by Matt de la Peña
illustrated by Christian Robinson
In a lesson we could all heed, Milo discovers that judging people by the way they look can lead to false assumptions. Robinson is one of my favorite illustrators.
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly
by Simms Tabak
Hilarious illustrations of this very hungry woman who will eat anything, no matter what the consequences!