Today I'm going to give you a few of my favorite picture books so if you're looking for a Christmas gift or just wanting to know what you might have missed, this is the post for you! I am not going to be mentioning classic picture books, not because they are not worth recommending, but I am going to assume my readers have a basic knowledge of Dr. Seuss, Maurice Sendak, and Beatrix Potter. This post is going to focus on books that are either newer or more obscure.
First of all, I want to mention the Journey trilogy by Aaron Becker, comprised of Journey, Quest, and Return. These books have no words which is great for kids that are not yet reading. The wonderful illustrations allow you and your child to create your own dialogue as you follow the travels of the characters creating their own worlds and adventures with a magic crayon. Beautiful beautiful books!
Another beautiful book is The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore by William Joyce. This is a picture book for booklovers! It is all about a man who finds purpose in caring for books but realizes the value is in the story, not the book itself. This book tells a charming tale and the illustrations are delightful. This is a book you need to have on your shelf whether you have kids or not.
Possibly my favorite picture book to be published in the last few years is A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead. Amos McGee is a zookeeper who does his job well and takes care of the animals and then one day, when he gets sick, the animals come and take care of him. This book does not have the full color illustrations of the other books I have mentioned. It has detailed and intricate pencil drawings that are gorgeous and the story just leaves you with a smile on your face. If your looking for something with a more old fashioned feel, this is the book for you!
The last book I want to mention is The Jolly Postman by Allan and Janet Ahlberg. This is the tale of the postman who gets to deliver mail to all the fairy tale creatures: the three bears, the gingerbread man, the witch, and others. The great fun of this book is that each time he delivers a letter there is a page with a pocket in it that has the actual letter he delivers so it's very interactive and fun. You get to read the birthday card Goldilocks sends to the little bear, and the advertisement the witch receives for all her witch-y needs (broomsticks and black boots and of course a selection of toads) and many many other things. There is also The Jolly Christmas Postman if you're interested (which you should be).
Great recommendations! The Becker books look fantastic; there's something very appealing about the idea of having these richly illustrated stories and make up your own words for them - and how these words might change and the stories gain more depth the older the readers become...
ReplyDelete"Sick Day" looks very enchanting as well. Surely one of the zoo animals taking care of Amos will be a giraffe? It's never too early to introduce children to the wondrous grace of giraffes.
A kindred spirit! How did you know I adore giraffes??? Unfortunately there is no giraffe in Sick Day but it still manages to be an excellent book. If you want a giraffe book I recommend Giraffes Can't Dance.
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