What Do You Do with an Idea by Kobi Yamada

A great book for children and adult alike and a great conceptual picture book that can be used to foster confidence in creative thinking and perseverence in withstanding criticism from others.

Compendium Kids, 2013

Follow the Line Around the World by Laura Ljungkvist

I love this book. It is very visually stimulating and factually interesting and every page has so much to look at. This author is fantastic.

Penguin Group, 2008

A Single Pebble A Story of the Silk Road by Bonnie Christensen

I liked this book because it told a sweet but simple tale of how a girl in the east sends a beloved Jade pebble on a journey West along the ancient Silk Road travel routes. I was enchanted.


Roaring Brook Press, 2013`

The World in a Second by Isabel Minhos Martins and Bernardo P. Carvalho

This book was so thoughtful and really intriguing with how so many places and people were represented as frozen-in-action in that one second that the world was stopped. I have not seen a similar children's book and the illustrations and drawing style is simply stunning. Definitely on my adult-wish-list of books I'm totally sucked into myself.

Enchanted Lion Books, 2015

Firefly Night by Carole Gerber Illustrated by Marty Husted

A beautifully illustrated adaptation of Longfellow's Song of Hiawatha, a little Chippewa girl follows the beautiful fireflies throughout the night.

Whispering Coyote, 2000.

The Three Bears' Halloween by Kathy Duval Illustrated by Paul Meisel

 

The three bears are ready to celebrate Halloween and head out into the woods for some trick-or-treating. They come across a spooky house in the woods and when one thing leads to another, they find themselves in Goldilock's house! This is a cute derivation of the timeless tale of Goldilocks and the three bears except this time the tables are turned and it is Halloween. This book will be revisiting our house next year because it was requested and reread multiple times.

Holiday House, 2007.

Shoe Baby by Joyce Dunbar Illustrated by Polly Dunbar

A little baby goes on a magical shoe adventure until he is reunited with his Giant parents. It is a wonderfully illustrated tale and the pictures are interested and bright and bold. We read this book over and over and over.

Candlewick, 2005.

Knuffle Bunny Free by Mo Willems

Knuffle Bunny Free: An Unexpected Diversion is the third installment of the Knuffle Bunny series by Mo Willems. The story follows along Trixie and her parents as they go on a trip to Holland to visit Trixie's grandparents and on the way there, Knuffle Bunny becomes displaced and is stuck on the train. Trixie must learn to live without her Knuffle Bunny and when they are finally reunited back on the plane, she learns the power of sharing and passes on Knuffle Bunny to a baby who she feels might benefit from Knuffle Bunny more than she.

Balzer and Bray, 2010.

Scribble by Deborah Freedman

While two little sister are coloring, a battle erupts between the two girls on who's picture is what when the little sister gets upset and scribbles all over her big sister's princess pictures. The drawings then take on a life of their own when the big sister leaves the room and the Kitty and the Princess fall in love after they have a colorful drawing adventure.

Alfred A. Knopf, 2007.

Monsters Eat Whiny Children by Bruce Eric Kaplan

Two whiny little children make their way into the hands of some hungry monsters and this is that story. This is one of those picture books that can work for any age and I was giggling away right along with my daughter while we were reading this book. Monsters are more dysfunctional than previously realized and they can't seem to make up their mind on how to eat the whiny children that they have acquired. So why they are carrying on about everything else other than how to cook the whiny children, of course, the children escape.

Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2010.

Outside Over There by Maurice Sendak

This is a 'different' kind of children's book that borders on the line of slightly disturbing although it really is a lovely tale. After Ida's father goes away to sea, goblins come and snatch away Ida's baby sister and she must journey out to rescue her. The goblins end up being really cute and looking like roly poly babies (which explains why they stole Ida's baby sister to be a Goblin bride). The text is large and simple and the illustrations are amazing. This book won a Caldecott Honor. The story ends on a happier tone but the content is not-as-positive as I would imagine a child's story to be, HOWEVER, it has the old-timey feel of an old-fashioned fairy tale and anyone who knows their literature knows that fairy-tales do not always end happily, but this story does.

Harper Collins, 1981.

The Runaway Dinner by Allan Ahlberg Illustrated by Bruce Ingman

This book is a humorous story of a little boy who's dinner (and utensils and furniture) decides to take off one day after the little sausage who makes an escape. It is a really cute story and it is written in a dialogue format that is easy to understand and adds to the appeal of this story.

Candlewick Press,

Oink, Oink Benny by Barbro Lindgren Illustrated by Olof Landstrom

Two little brother pigs decide to go outside and play and in the meantime have a bit of an adventure from their mishaps before they go home. It's a really cute little story and it highlights how older siblings lead and take care of their younger siblings. I think it is also right-on in the way children think because instead of going home all muddy and covered in mud, the two little pigs decide to hide under a tree because they know their mother is going to be upset with them.

I love the illustrations and it's a really cute little book and a fun read for any child.

R & S Books, 2008.
Translated by Elisabeth Kallick Dyssegaard

The Merbaby by Teresa Bateman Illustrated by Patience Brewster

When a fisherman and his brother make a shocking discovery in their fishing nets after seeing a beautiful harpy mermaid on the rocks, Tarron decides to return the found merbaby to the mermaid and instead of becoming rich on the exploitation of this beautiful merchild is greeted with welcome by the merfolk community for the return of their beloved merchild.

The illustrations in this book are absolutely gorgeous to look at. The story is a bit more complex for younger readers but anyone would appreciate the pictures of the beautiful mermaids and the adorable merbaby.

Holiday House, 2001.

Ducking for Apples by Lynne Berry Illustrated by Hiroe Nakata

Five little ducks decide to head out on their bicycles and go for a ride. They find an apple tree and through the use of teamwork pick some apples to make for a pie. This story is told in a delightful and easy-to-read rhyme that when coupled with the adorable illustrations make for a great and fun read for any parent or child. Another plus is that it is a book about ducks and everyone loves ducks and they are very well done in this work.

Henry Holt and Co., 2010.

The Zoo by Suzy Lee

A little girl and her parents visit the zoo and she wanders off. Her parents look for her among the empty animal exhibits and the little girl is pictured in vivid color playing with all of the animals of the zoo behind-the-scene.

There are few words in this book which call more attention to the illustrations. It is a true look at how a visit to the zoo can go.

La Jolla, 2007.