Picture books for fun, for toddlers and for great art

In a Blue Room by Jim Averbeck

This bedtime story features a sleepy girl that wants to sleep in a blue room. But the room is not blue. She wants a blue blanket, some blue tea, but nothing is blue. What to do, what to do? And then mama turns off the light. The room, the blanket, the tea and flowers - all are now blue. The book has such a soft, quiet feel to it that it is bound to be a good bedtime story again and again.





Bear's Picture by Daniel Pinkwater (new illustrations by D. B. Johnson)

Pick this book for the illustrations, then read it again for the story. The illustrator has other fabulous books, notably Henry Hikes to Fitchburg. In this story, the bear is painting what he likes and two men come along and tell him he cannot paint, and then criticize his painting. The men disappear into the stream in the painting, the bear is happy with his painting, the book itself is turned and we see a stylized painting of ... the bear himself!




Old MacDonald Had a Farm by Jane Cabrera



Everyone knows the song. Now sing along and enjoy the colorful, luscious pictures by Jane Cabrera. I plan on using this for story time and toddler time, too!

My Baby & Me by Lynn Reiser

Here is another great book for little folks. Four sets of siblings talk, play and do loving things together. The cover does not show the beautiful children of color who are included. Rhyming text is simple and very child centered.








Mommy Do You Love Me? by Jeanne Willis

Mommy hen and little chick love each other. This story goes beyond 'love you, love you, love you' to showing that even when mommy is mad, she still loves little chick. And mommy and little chick are able to talk about that - a great way to bring the topic up with little ones who are struggling with understaning complex human emotions.







Ma! There's Nothing to Do Here! by Barbara Park
Have you heard of the book series Junie B. Jones? Well, here is her very humorous picture book inspired by the ultrasound of her grandson. This in utero baby can think of lots of thing children would like to do, and complains about not having anything to do while in the womb.






Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett

I love this simple story and plan on using it for story time real soon. The text is simple, repititious and then the reader will turn the page to see the animals that the little girl and her monkey went to see. You will definitely want to read the other books by this author/illustrator: Meerkat Mail; Orange Pear Apple Bear; and the almost scary story, Wolves.

What Pet to Get? by Emma Dodd

Big bold pictures and absolutely ridiculous pet choices make this a fun book to read. Mom does not just say no to her son, but suggests a pet elephant might squish the car, a lion might scare the mailman and sadly, T. rexes are extinct.

Guess What I Found in Dragon Wood by Timothy Knapman

No, this is not a story about finding a dragon. This is a story about a dragon finding a boy, a 'Benjamin' that he takes to school. But the Benjamin is homesick, so the dragon takes him home. Great story for dragon lovers of all ages.

Come Fly with Me by Satomi Ichikawa

You travel to Paris with this author/illustrator, in every book she writes. In this book, two toys take a trip together. After all, "The best part of going Somewhere is sharing it with friends."

La La Rose is one of my favorite stories with a lost toy rabbit who eventually finds his girl. And again, you get to visit Paris.